The Magic of Dr Who
by Old Toad
Summary: The Doctor encounters the hidden world of magic for the first time when the TARDIS lands in Hogsmeade. Both the Dumbledores are welcoming, but the Ministry makes life difficult. So the Doctor decides to get a wand of his own and the adventure really begins.
1. Hogsmeade

**Author's Note:** In terms of the Doctor's timeline, this story takes place shortly before the events in very first broadcast episode back in 1963.

**Chapter 1 - Hogsmeade**

It was such normal occurrence that nobody paid it more than a moment's attention: a Punch and Judy booth materialised out of nowhere in a corner of the tiny village square. After a few minutes two people emerged from the back and looked around. One was an elderly gent with white swept-back hair; his smart outfit topped with a short dark cape. The other was more conspicuous: a girl of fourteen or fifteen wearing clothes currently fashionable in parts of London. It was dusk and few were on the streets, the lights would be lit very soon. The two did not look out of place and nobody looked twice at them; strangers were common and it was considered polite by the inhabitants simply to let them go about their business.

"Grandfather, are you sure that this is 1990, it looks more like 1890 or even 1790."

"Not 1790, child, for there were no Post Offices then." He pointed to a sign across the road. "But after the TARDIS failed to land just now, I checked our position most carefully: this is Scotland and it is 1990." He paused, "Or 1991, it doesn't really matter."

He walked purposefully across to the Post Office, his granddaughter trailing behind. However, the door was shut and would not open for him. He fumbled in his pockets for something, then changed his mind and turned away. "There must be a pub or café or something where we can find someone to talk to; we need to know what's going on here." He had seen two people enter a tiny establishment called "The Three Broomsticks"; but when they arrived there, neither he nor the girl could open the door.

"Grandfather, I'm sure there are customers inside, I can hear them talking and laughing. It's as though we are being deliberately shut out."

"Yes, Susan, and that is something else to investigate. But the first thing is to find somewhere where we _are_ welcome. Let's look for somewhere with an open door."

The dark came on rapidly and an open doorway was betrayed by light streaming out. It was a public house or inn of some kind, but very dingy. They stepped apprehensively across the threshold and were greeted. "Welcome Professor, we see few of your calling in Hogsmeade these days. You and your Bottler will be looking for lodging?"

The Doctor looked puzzled for a split second, but quickly recovered. "Ah! You must know about my – err – booth. I regret that I am not a real Punchman; I do not carry a swazzle. It's just a disguise."

The host, an old man with long grey hair and beard, looked disappointed but unsurprised. "Well, what can I do for you both?"

"Something warming to drink, and some answers to questions if you can spare the time?"

"Hot butterbeer each then. I don't do coffee - not enough call for it - and the youngster will prefer butterbeer anyway, they always do. As for questions and answers, I'll talk with you, but I'll expect answers to my questions too.

"First question: do you have proper money? I can take pounds and pennies, but it'll cost you a lot more on account of the difficultly of getting it changed in these parts."

The Doctor dug into his trouser pocket and produced a large gold coin labelled "One Galleon". He looked at it with interest, never having seen one before. Good old TARDIS, it always saw to it that he was prepared; it was almost like magic. "Will that do?"

"That will be a good start. Excuse my asking, but I get some very odd people in here from some very odd places."

"We are not exactly from round here ourselves."

By now the Doctor and Susan were sitting down at a battered old table. Susan was still wrinkling her nose at the sheer grime around them, but the two old men ignored her. The place did not _smell_ dirty and that was good enough for them. Two steaming butterbeers were placed in front of them.

"You're travellers then?"

"We are here in Britain for a few months. We have been looking for a local school my granddaughter could attend while we're here. I heard of a place called Hogwart's, but it's proving difficult to find."

"Ah, it would. In fact I'm surprised you even found this village."

"It did take a while, but I can find my way to almost anywhere. What has bothered us the reception we have received since we got here. Places seem open but we find ourselves locked out. In fact this place is the only one I could call welcoming."

"Don't take it as a personal affront; most people here are careful to follow the Ministry ruling: their doors will not open to such as yourselves. I ignore the Ministry and so far they've ignored me. All peacable travellers are welcome here, whatever they are."

"'Such as ourselves?' What do you mean? What is so special about us?"

The old man shook his head, "If you don't know then there is no easy way to say it. You are not special, quite the contrary, you are non-magical and this village is for those with magic. Have you never been called 'muggles'?"

"No, I've not heard that word. Nor do I easily accept what you say about 'magic'; I am a man of science. I think you would regard the vehicle we used to get here as very magical indeed; but it is the product of a very advanced science."

The old man shook his head again. "You say 'man of science', but that is not quite the truth is it? Indeed, I question whether you are a _man_ atall."

"You are remarkably perceptive. I am a Time Lord."

"A grand title. It will interest the wizard who is standing on the threshold listening to our talk." He raised his voice: "Come in Albus, and introduce yourself."

A second bearded old man came in, quite unfazed at having been detected. "Good evening sir, young lady. I am Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the school you could not find."

Susan shot to her feet. "If the school is close by how was it that we couldn't find it?"

"The school is hidden and protected by magic, only wizards and witches can see it."

The Doctor snorted, and Dumbledore acknowledged this politely. "Nevertheless, it is true. Hogwarts is a school for young wizards and witches, only they qualify for admission. I am sorry young lady, but I cannot make you a pupil, even on a temporary basis."

"How do you know that I am not a witch?"

"Because I am a wizard. But there is another test." He turned to the inn keeper, "Aberforth, do you have a spare wand you could give the young lady to try?" The inn keeper, grumbling under his breath, disappeared into a back room and emerged with a piece of stick about a foot long. He shook it and blue sparks flew out. He placed it on the table.

"It won't hurt you. Pick it up and give it a shake. Pretend it's a magic wand, you must have played at magic as a small child."

Acting on the Headmaster's prompt she picked it up gingerly and looked at it.

"Now try it properly, err …?"

"Susan."

"Sparks are the easiest thing. Imagine sparks flying from the end when you shake it."

Susan tried. On the third attempt there might have been a slight glow, it was hard to tell. She put it down again quickly. "That felt rather odd; you try grandfather." She turned to Dumbledore, "Is that OK sir?"

He nodded, "Do try it. But I forgot to ask your name?"

"Just call me The Doctor."

The Doctor, sceptical, but always prepared to be surprised, picked up the wand and flourished it. Nothing happened. He examined the wand with great care, taking his time. Then he gave it an experimental shake. A solitary spark flew out, hit the table and left a tiny scorch mark. "Most remarkable." The Doctor looked smug, everyone else looked surprised.

"Well Doctor, you and Susan do appear to have some magical ability, you are what are called 'squibs.' It is a demeaning name, I'm afraid, but there it is."

"Does that mean I can go to your school?"

"No Susan, but I am prepared to show the two of you round. I do hope you'll say yes."

However, the Doctor had risen to his feet and was consulting his pocket watch. "We have stayed too long. Come Susan, we must return to the TARDIS at once. It is under attack!"


	2. The Men from the Ministry

**Chapter 2 – The Men from the Ministry**

"_Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."_

Arthur C Clarke

Outside it was dark, for the street lighting, always dim, did not extend to the alley containing The Hog's Head. Professor Dumbledore followed after the two travellers and held his own wand aloft to provide a clear white light. "May I accompany you; I may be able to smooth out any local difficulty?"

The Doctor said nothing, but the three of them moved together at a swift but dignified walking pace. With the help of the glow from the wand they soon found themselves back at the square where they had left the TARDIS. The area was packed with people, many quaintly dressed. Nearest where they had left the Punch and Judy booth were several men with big luminous speech bubbles bobbing above their heads, like in a newspaper comic strip. Most read "Ministry Official".

The Professor advanced straight for the booth, people parting as though by magic to let him through, and The Doctor and Susan followed in his wake. They soon reached a harassed looking man under a speech bubble which read "Man in Charge." He did not look as though he was in charge; his efforts to get the square cleared of sight-seers were having no success. Dumbledore greeted him: "Why hello, Mr Weasley, what is going on here? I thought your department was 'Misuse of Muggle Artefacts'?"

"Arthur, please Professor. Yes it is, and the sooner I can hand this little puzzle over to someone else the better. This Punch and Judy stall-thing appeared and two people got out. Nobody thought much of until they realised they were both muggles. I've got a team of Adjustors out searching for them."

"Odd certainly, but I still don't see where you come in?"

"Well a Punch and Judy booth is a muggle artefact, and this one has been magicked up like you wouldn't believe. I'm expecting a couple of experts from the Department of Mysteries along soon. It's up to them whether the aurors get involved."

"I can help you a little I think; I have those two 'muggles' here with me. However, they are not 'muggles' in the strict sense. One of them at least has some magical powers; more than any squib I've every known, and yet they are not from any magical family."

At this point The Doctor felt that he had been talked about as though he wasn't there for too long. "Enough! This booth is my TARDIS, I put it here and only I can command it. What have you been trying to do to it you … you pointy-hatted magician you!"

"It occurred to us that it wasn't really a Punch and Judy. I've been trying revealing spells to find its true form."

"Oh have you, and with what result?"

"Nothing so far, except I'm sure now that it is no more a Punch and Judy than I am."

"Anything else? We came back because it was under attack. Have you tried to enter it?"

"Not by magic."

"Humph, you're 'revealing spells' must be very powerful. I do believe you've managed to damage the camouflage circuits."

Arthur Weasley felt it was time to re-take the initiative. "If the Professor says you are not a muggle then what are you? And can you prove this device is yours and that you can safely use it. The Ministry takes a dim view of powerful magic in the wrong hands."

"I am a Time Lord. Only a Time Lord can command a TARDIS. And I have the key, perhaps you and the Headmaster would care to come inside?"

Arthur pulled a face, but Dumbledore was relaxed: "Come on Arthur, I trust him. You'll never forgive yourself if you don't get to know more about this 'Tardis.' And I want to find out exactly what a 'Time Lord' might be."

Arthur exchanged words with his deputy; then the four of them went round the back, where the Doctor inserted a key, opened a door inwards and all four trouped in. The door was closed again before anyone else could follow.

The Doctor waited for the usual response, but didn't get it: Dumbledore simply looked around, smiling serenely, and said "Nicely done," while Arthur Weasley said nothing but looked like a small kid let loose in a large toyshop. Susan stayed with Arthur in the control room, talking him through various controls and gauges while seeing that he did no harm. The two older men went through into a quiet room with easy chairs where they could discuss being Time Lords and Wizards. They got into a deep discussion, and forgot the passage of time.

The door alarm went off, and the screen showed some very worried looking men outside, all holding wands. Susan asked Arthur what was going on. "They are aurors and they must think something has happened to Dumbledore and myself. How long has it been? No more that ten to fifteen minutes surely?"

"Nearly an hour."

"No wonder they look worried. I'd better go out and re-assure them."

Dumbledore and The Doctor had come in at the sound of the alarm, and Dumbledore was quick to stop him: "No Arthur, they are going to try blasting their way in. If you open the door at the wrong time it could do you serious harm."

Susan tried to use the external speaker, but it wasn't working. The Doctor took the controls and waited to see what the aurors could manage. "Damaging the camouflage circuits is one thing, breaking in to a full functioning TARDIS is another. Let's see them try!"

Susan and Arthur looked worried, while the old men looked like children waiting for a particularly big firework to go off. Outside, a series of opening spells had already been tried to no effect. Now six wands were pointed at the door and at a count of four, six blasting spells flared from the wands. Those inside felt a tremor in the floor, and various lights started flashing on the big control console. The Doctor was impressed: "That was a huge psychic surge! Your 'magic'_ is_ powerful; I take back what I said just now!"

Dumbledore shook his head. "That was just a try-out, Doctor. The next blast will be the real one. I'm worried that somebody outside is going to get hurt."

"Then I'll move the TARDIS, I've set the controls already." He pulled a lever, something in the central column bobbed up and down, and Dumbledore felt dizzy for a second or two. "Good, I've moved to right outside The Hog's Head. You and Mr Weasley can leave safely now, and go and calm those hot-headed idiots. Susan and I will stay aboard until things have settled down. Don't worry about us; this place is too interesting for Susan and I to leave. You will be seeing more of us."

"I shall look forward to it, Doctor. There is just one thing before we go."

"And that would be?"

"The wand you pocketed in The Hog's Head. I must ask you to hand it back."

"Ah, you don't miss much do you? I was hoping to study it. I suppose there is no chance I could hang onto it for a while?"

"Sorry Doctor, but handing a wand to a muggle is a serious business. The Ministry could even arrest old Aberforth and close down his inn."

With a shrug the Doctor handed over the wand, and the door was opened. Arthur, despite the hour spent with Susan going over the controls, seemed bemused to find that they had actually moved to outside The Hog's Head. He had no idea that muggle devices, and he thought of the TARDIS as one, could really do such a thing.

No sooner had the TARDIS door closed behind them than it vanished from sight with the faintest of noises.


	3. Hogwarts

**Chapter 3 – Hogwarts**

The Doctor had removed some panelling from the wall of the control room and was muttering to himself.

"Grandfather, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to fix the damage your friend Mr Weasley has done with his 'revealing spells.'"

"Is it serious? I'm sure he meant no harm."

"Few meddlers do mean harm, but they're still a big nuisance, every one of them. The camouflage circuits always were fragile – after all, this TARDIS is older than I am – and now, well: the next change will be their last."

"You can't fix them?"

"Not without a visit to Gallifrey!"

There was a long silence, during which the Doctor gave up trying to make any repairs and popped back the panel.

"I liked Mr Weasley, he told me a lot about the school: 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' He has children at the school, and went there himself, you know, when he was young."

"Oh yes." Her grandfather wasn't paying attention.

"He said something which might explain why the TARDIS wouldn't land there." _Now_ she had his full attention. "He said that the school has many spells around it for protection. One of them is that it is not possible to 'apparate' into the school. Some wizards and witches can move from one place to another just by thinking about it; they call it 'Apparition.' It sounded to me a bit like what the TARDIS does."

"'_A bit like what the TARDIS does'_ – that's very poor English!"

"Yes, but you know what I mean. It could be the reason, couldn't it?"

"I suppose it could. The Headmaster made lots of claims about what could be done with magic, and 'Apparition' was one of them, though he couldn't demonstrate it inside the TARDIS. We've certainly stumbled on something I need to investigate. These people have real powers, and I never even knew they existed. Planet Earth is a much more interesting place than I thought." He stroked his chin. "What else did he tell you?"

"Well, the names of his children, and …"

"Don't be obtuse. What did he tell you about this school?"

"Lots. There is some sort of illusion set up so that those they don't want wandering in see only dangerous ruins."

"It isn't easy to delude a Time Lord. I think we should take that as a challenge."

"So do I, I want to see that school, Grandfather. Mr Weasley said that the easiest way in is simply to walk through the front gates."

The Doctor moved the TARDIS forward to early the following morning, but had no success in finding the front gates, even though they knew they must be very close. They finally decided to go to The Hog's Head and ask the way.

An hour later and after a hot butterbeer each, they wandered past the railway station, which was deserted, and found the well-worn track to the school. The track went up to an impressive pair of gate posts. One post had two warning notices on it. One said:

_NO ENTRY_

_UNCOVERED MINE SHAFTS_

And the other:

_DANGEROUS RUINS_

_KEEP OUT_

The other gate post looked as though it was about to topple over. A length of rusty chain hung between the two. Inside, a fallen tree and brambles (without blackberries) blocked the path. It looked very forbidding, even the weather seemed worse: through the gateway it seemed about to rain,

"A very convincing illusion is it not, Susan?"

"Mr Weasley said the school was a thousand years old, so they've had a long time to get it right."

"But you can see through the illusion can't you?"

"O yes, but it does take a little effort, I have to keep reminding myself that I mustn't be tricked."

"Quite so. Let's walk through into the grounds and see if the illusion is maintained."

For a few moments they found themselves seeing double, but the illusion soon faded and then they were seeing the school and it grounds as they really were, which was pretty close, the Doctor thought, to how any witch or wizard would see them.

The broad path they were on swept up to a large, many-turreted building which filled the skyline. It was magnificent.

"Wow, Mr Weasley said it was a castle, but it's far grander than I expected."

"That is what a boarding school should look like. Shall we walk up to the front door and ring the bell?"

They reached the main doors and found them closed and bolted. There was a large bell-pull and the Doctor pulled hard on it. There was a tiny far-away tinkle.

"Yes?" said a tiny tinkling voice. They looked around for the source of the voice, expecting a screen or loudspeaker. There was a small alien creature standing nearly three feet high in front of them. "Yes?" it repeated, "deliveries to the rear please."

The Doctor, who had seen many humanoid aliens before, did not blink an eyelid. He reached into an inner pocket and found something. "The Doctor and granddaughter to see the Headmaster. My card."

The little alien solemnly took the proffered card. "Yes sir. Are you expected?"

"I spoke to Professor Dumbledore last night. He expressed a wish to show us around the school."

"One moment if you please, sir, miss." It vanished. But before Susan and the Doctor could exchange more than few whispered words the little alien was there again. "The Headmaster is currently in conference with the Minister of Magic. He asks for your forbearance and hopes that you can take breakfast with him in due course. Meanwhile, there is much of interest in the grounds. The Keeper of Keys will show you around." He pointed them in the direction of a column of smoke emerging from a little cottage on the edge of a wood. "Hagrid lives there. There is nothing he doesn't know about the grounds and the creatures that live here." It vanished once more.

The great doors remained firmly bolted, so the Doctor and Susan turned their backs on the castle and walked downhill to the cottage, discussing the little alien. Neither Dumbledore nor Mr Weasley had mentioned such creatures, but the Doctor had met similar beings before: "It's an Ealf. I've found them on more than one planet; they are very long-lived and often hire themselves out as servants. I had no idea there were any on Earth."

The cottage, when they got closer, turned out to be little more than a stone hut. It was right on the edge of a large wood. "That must be the 'forbidden forest'" said Susan, "Mr Weasley did mention it. He said it is much more dangerous now than when he was a pupil here. There are a lot of dangerous creatures in there."

The hut door had no knocker, so the Doctor banged with his fist on the door, calling out "Mr. Hagrid." The only reply was a low, guttural growl from within. The Keeper of Keys was not at home. A clear path led around the hut and into the forest. "Come on Susan, we shan't go in far, but I suspect we might meet some interesting aliens in there. Was Weasley specific about what to expect?"

"He did say that the most intelligent creatures in there are Centaurs."

"Centaurs: the legendary combination of horse and man? Those I must meet."

They had not walked more than a few steps when there was a shout from behind: "Hoy you two, where do you think you're going?" The caller was a huge hairy man carrying a crossbow. "Blimey, you two are muggles, aint yer!" He sounded more concerned than angry. "Come inside and have a cup of tea, and I'll tell yer why you shouldn't go in there alone."

Very soon each was nursing a great cup of strong tea and chatting about centaurs and giant spiders as though they were everyday topics of conversation. All too soon there was a knock on the door, "Hagrid, are you there?"

Hagrid spoke in a stage whisper, "It's the Headmaster, are you OK with that?" They nodded, so he went to the door and flung it open. The professor hurried in and closed the door behind him. "Ah, you are both here, good, it's probably the best place for you just at the moment. I've tried arguing with him, but for once Cornelius is adamant: he has ordered the detention of you both, and the impounding of your TARDIS."


	4. In the Forest

**Chapter 4 – In the Forest**

Professor Dumbledore sat himself down in the remaining empty chair, and politely refused Hagrid's offer of a cup of tea. "I've spent a fruitless hour talking to the Minister of Magic via the Flue Network. He's been briefed by the Aurors and various people from the Department of Mysteries who are simply determined to get their hands on your TARDIS. They are convinced that it is a magical device and that the two of you, being muggles, have no right to it.

"Poor Arthur Weasley has had a rough time. He's seen the inside of the 'transport device' and they want to know everything. He spent the night in the Ministry using a Pensieve to record every minute he was with Susan in the control room.

"If it wasn't so serious it would be laughable. The Aurors feel humiliated: a magical device imitating a primitive entertainment for muggle children resisted the combined efforts of six of them. And the device seemed to be under the control of a pair of muggles."

Susan was disappointed. "What happens next? You did offer us a tour of the school."

"I did, but now is not the right time with half the Ministry looking for you. However, you are time travellers. Visit the school a hundred years ago, or a hundred years from now – it will have barely changed I'm sure. There is nothing special about _now_ is there?

After a glance at her grandfather Susan reluctantly shook her head.

"Good." Dumbledore shifted his attention to The Doctor. "The only way you are going to avoid the attentions of the Ministry is to leave Hogsmeade and 1990. From what I gathered from Fudge, the Ministry haven't yet realised that the TARDIS is a time machine; when they do they will re-double their efforts to capture it. Is it well hidden?"

"No. It's in a cellar beneath The Hog's Head, and visible to anyone who looks in there. Its camouflage abilities are damaged, and it never has had the ability to materialise and be invisible. The landlord said he had no means of disguising it that would fool the Ministry."

"Then we have a problem. The Ministry will find it, and quite soon. Is there anything you can do?"

"Usually I can call it to me, but it refused to materialise in the school grounds yesterday. If it is seriously attacked then it will take itself to a place of safety as close to me as it can manage.

"Then we can't linger here, enjoying Hagrid's hospitality, any longer."

Hagrid shook his head with a grin. "That's OK, Headmaster. We've been getting on famous us three, but we must hurry now. I reckon I can help you out!"

He paused for dramatic effect, waiting to get everyone's attention. "There is no need to leave the school grounds altogether; there are parts of the forest where it _is_ possible to apparate. Not that I'd like it to be widely known! The point is though: we can get there without being seen. Go from here to the gates and you'll be seen; not even the Professor can altogether prevent that."

"A good point, Hagrid," agreed Dumbledore, "But where exactly? The forbidden forest is large, much larger than it looks."

"Where the Centaurs live."

"Then we'll go there straight away, it's not too far. I get on well with them, and I think you do too, Hagrid."

"Well enough Professor, though there is no denying they can be very touchy, some of them."

Hagrid led the way. The backdoor of Hagrid's hut opened only a few feet from the forbidden forest and very shortly all four were well hidden under the trees. They kept up as fast a pace as the two old men could comfortably manage along the criss-crossing paths. When they reached a large clearing Hagrid led them into the middle. "This," he said, "is where we wait. The Centaurs know we are in their forest; when they are ready they'll come here and we'll ask their permission to go further. If they don't give it then things get dodgy."

"Doctor," asked Dumbledore, "what do you know about Centaurs?"

"Very little, apart from what Hagrid was telling us just now. I've heard talk of them over the centuries in many places on Earth, but I never quite believed in them before today. I think they are natives of this planet, but I'm not sure even of that."

A booming voice made them all jump: "Hagrid, Dumbledore, we know you, but you have brought two strangers amongst us. Who are they and what is their business here? Let them speak for themselves." A centaur had arrived behind them; he was much larger than Susan had expected. Even as he spoke other centaurs cantered into the clearing and surrounded them. They glared down at the Doctor and Susan.

The Doctor stood his ground, hands grasping his lapels, and glared back up at them. "If what I've heard about you is true then you will know somewhat about us, my granddaughter and I. I am called The Doctor and I am a Time Lord."

"We have heard about 'Time Lords,' and you cannot be one. Time Lords are not human!"

"True, they are not. But do you know what they _do_ look like? I am not human, though I look it. You can see beyond appearances: am I truly human?"

"Your mind is not like that of any wizard we have encountered" said one. "There are two hearts beating in his chest" said another. "Dumbledore, is he a Time Lord?"

Dumbledore considered his reply carefully. "You know more about Time Lords than I, for I had never heard of them before yesterday. But The Doctor is neither human nor non-human; he is not a wizard or a muggle, and he does have a machine which can travel in space and time. It is because of that machine that we are here."

"A 'Time Lord' needs a _machine_ to travel in time? What makes him a 'Time Lord' then?"

This question was directed at the Doctor, who replied: "Only a Time Lord has a mind that can cope with the complexities of time. Only a Time Lord can command a TARDIS, as only a wizard or witch can use a wand."

The centaurs considered this. One of them nodded acceptance: "Welcome then, time lords. Our ancient customs require that we welcome you."

"They do," said another, "but they have not yet said why they are here, or what they want of us. A machine was mentioned, I do not like talk of machines."

Hagrid spoke for the first time. "I brought them here, Bane, because they are fleeing from the Ministry of Magic which wants both them and their machine."

"And you expect us to hide them for you, do you?"

"Not at all! They want to get back to their time machine and escape. They can't do that from the school grounds, from your forest they can."

Dumbledore added his weight: "Their machine is hidden in Hogsmeade and the Ministry is looking for it. All we ask is your permission to find a place in your forest where The Doctor can summons his time machine to him. Then they will leave in it."

Bane's tail swished as he wrestled with conflicting thoughts. "I might say 'yes' just to spite the Ministry; they have become more and more obnoxious since the new Minister took over."

Another centaur spoke. "Would here in this glade be possible? I don't think there could be an objection to that."

Dumbledore winced at his own slowness, "Thank you Firenze, I should have thought of that. If no one objects I will try apparating." Before Bane could open his mouth to object, Dumbledore made a slight twist of the body and silently disappeared. In seconds he was back. "Well that proves there is no anti-disapparition jinx working here. Move away from the centre everyone. Doctor, summons your TARDIS!"

The Doctor began fiddling with his pocket watch. A faint wheezing noise was heard around them, but nothing was seen. He tried again. They had a glimpse of a ghostly, see-through image of the Punch and Judy booth and the wheezing noise was much louder, but the TARDIS failed to materialize.

"Grandfather, what is happening, why did the TARDIS make that noise?

"Something is constraining it. I fear that we are too late and the Ministry men have found the TARDIS and are preventing it from de-materialising."

"Is there nothing you can do?"

"I could increase the power, but that could cause irreparable damage. If they proceed to attempt to breech the TARDIS, as they did last time, then I don't know what will happen; this anti-disapparition jinx is more effective than anything the TARDIS was expected to cope with."

"I am going to reconnoitre," said Dumbledore, who then disappeared. He re-appeared after a tense few minutes, which included rather noisy squabbles between Bane and Firenze, and between Hagrid and a third centaur.

"I've been to The Hog's Head and talked to Aberforth. The aurors have found the TARDIS in his cellar and have applied an anti-disapparition jinx. They have also loaded the TARDIS with enchanted chains. No attempt to force it open has been made yet but it won't be long. Doctor, what can happen when they try?"

"When it is attacked a TARDIS does not fight back, it is always only defensive. Its first action will be to notify me via this pocket watch. It is very tough and can resist just about anything short of a super nova. However, it will try and move itself to a place of safety. The real danger is to those trying to open it; their weapons could back-fire on them."

He paced up and down, chin in hand, deep in thought. Only four or five centaurs remained in the clearing, but large numbers had gathered among the surrounding trees looking on.

"Doctor," said Firenze, "consider your advantage: you are a Time Lord, while these Wizards know nothing of time travel."

The Doctor stared at him for a few moments, and then snapped his fingers. "Of course, I should have thought of it myself. This 'anti-disapparition jinx' only prevents movement in space!"

He began fiddling with his pocket watch again. Susan explained to the others: "It looks like a watch but it's really a sort of remote control for the TARDIS. Grandfather can use it for small movements in time or space."

Once more the wheezing sound was heard, and this time the Punch and Judy booth appeared and became solid, right in front of them. The centaurs back away nervously, while The Doctor looked very pleased with himself. "I sent the TARDIS back in time by one day, so that it was in the inn's cellar _yesterday_ morning. It wasn't a movement in space so the magic had no effect."

Firenze butted in: "And yesterday morning there was no jinx present, so you were then able to move it to here and now?"

"Exactly right."

"Enough of this mutual congratulation!" Bane was angry again. "Our glade has been polluted by magic and machinery."

"Then with your leave, Susan and The Doctor will take the TARDIS away, and Hagrid and I will return to the school on foot."

After many a 'goodbye' and 'thank you,' much handshaking and bowing – Susan even attempted a curtsy to Bane and Firenze - the time travellers entered the TARDIS. The now-familiar wheezing was heard again and the booth faded and disappeared, leaving Bane to look around in vain for something to be angry about.

**A/N: This looks like a good point to stop, but I do have some ideas for one last chapter.**


	5. Diagon Alley, 1963

**Chapter 5 – Diagon Alley, 1963**

In a deserted junkyard somewhere in greater London, the Doctor hid the TARDIS out of sight in one dark corner. It was the summer of 1963; the summer Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech, and Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. The Doctor had chosen the place, Susan the year.

From this base the Doctor looked for signs of magic. Arthur Weasley had told Susan about a special steam train which was run to take children between London and Hogwarts. However Susan didn't know which station it used, let alone when it ran. Professor Dumbledore had told The Doctor about a hospital which treated magical disorders, but he had never said where it was. They knew that the Ministry of Magic was hidden somewhere in central London and had lots of employees, but central London is large.

"Grandfather, why did you choose London to look for wizards?"

"The only two places we know they are to be found are Hogsmeade and London. In Hogsmeade we stand out, in London it is the wizards and witches who hide. We can look for them without being seen ourselves."

"Yes but they _are_ hidden, using their magical powers to do it. How can even you find them?"

"They must use illusion to cover their presence. We two can both sense an illusion and not be fooled by it. Also, they have some means of making space for themselves – remember that they weren't surprised that the TARDIS is bigger on the inside. The TARDIS should be able to detect other places like that, what are called 'spatial anomalies.'"

In September Susan enrolled at the local school and attended daily. "If I can't go to a really extraordinary school like Hogwarts, then I'll go to a really ordinary one like Coal Hill."

When the weather was poor The Doctor worked on developing a Spatial Anomaly Scanner, cannibalising parts from the TARDIS. When the weather was fine he roamed Whitehall and the area around looking for a tell-tale illusion. Weeks went by, and while the one thing Time Lords do have is time, they can lack patience; The Doctor became increasingly tetchy.

Then, one October evening, Susan was in the TARDIS when the Doctor returned. "Susan, I've found it, the Ministry of Magic is well hidden, but I've found it at last! It's in central London as I expected, miles from here. I want to move the TARDIS nearer."

"A Punch and Judy in the centre of London would stand out like a …"

"I intend to change the TARDIS's appearance: it will become a police callbox, and I can land it right next to the telephone callbox they use as an entrance!"

"I thought the camouflage was broken?"

"It will manage this one last change, as the size and shape are not very different."

"What then? Are you ready to 'go in'?"

"By no means. But from the TARDIS I can track people when they leave the Ministry and find where they go. There must be other hidden places around London where wizards and witches congregate."

"You are going to _spy_ on people!"

"Susan, I do not do this lightly. These witches and wizards have alarming abilities; we must get to know them."

So the TARDIS became - or rather on the outside it looked like - a police callbox. During the day it stood outside the Ministry of Magic and at night it went back to the junkyard. Being a time machine, it was sometimes in both places at once.

As soon as he had a definite place to investigate, The Doctor took Susan with him to a busy London street. "Walk along with me, child, and look out for a quite subtle illusion. I had to go past three times before I noticed it."

"Yes grandfather, and please could you not call me 'child' anymore?"

The Doctor stopped suddenly; earning a few dirty looks from passers-by, for the pavement was crowded with shoppers. "Here we are Susan. Now, what do you see?" He pointed to the shop fronts. There was a book shop next to a shop selling pots and pans. But squeezed between the two was a pub with a hanging sign above a dark wooden door which nearly filled the whole of its narrow frontage.

"The illusion is that this pub isn't there. Shall we go in?"

The door of the Leaky Cauldron will open to any who can see it, and once the eyes have adjusted to the murk (for the only light is from a few candles) it appears much bigger than it should be. The Doctor had a few Sickles in change from the Hog's Head and spent some on a coffee for himself and butterbeer for Susan. They sat at a table where they could see and be seen by the other customers. It was not long before a young ginger-haired man sat down at their table. He could not have left school long ago, and was trying to grow a ginger moustache in a vain attempt to look older.

"Good afternoon," said The Doctor, "Do you know this area well? We are strangers here, recently arrived."

"Are you tourists or on business?"

"Both, but right now we are interested in a little buying and selling."

"Then you've come to the right place. In Diagon Alley you can buy most anything what's legal."

"Today: strictly legal. Can you take us there?"

"If you 'ave somethin' good to buy or sell I'll tag along. Might be interestin'. Might I ask where you're from?"

"Let us just say we are from a very distant place. I am known as The Doctor, and this is my granddaughter, Susan. How should I address you?"

"Everyone knows I'm Mundungus Fletcher, though they don't all call me that! Down your drinks and we'll be off. You really don't know the way?"

He led them through to the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron and used his wand to open the archway into Diagon Alley. It was almost as busy as the ordinary street at the front of the pub. But the shops were very different; Susan had been reading a lot of Dickens's and felt she was suddenly in his world. She had to stop herself from looking around for Mr Pickwick and Little Nell.

"Now 'Doctor,' what's first: buyin' or sellin'?"

"I have to sell before I can buy. I have a few little things about my person; I think the most interesting is this pocket telescope. Believe me, you have seen nothing like it."

"Oh yes? And what do you hope to buy?"

"Today I'm looking for a wand; a few simple potions; some books on magic. Nothing fancy."

"You reck'n that tele-thing is valuable?"

"Oh it is. Is there a shop here that specialises in expensive instruments? Find me someone who will appreciate it and you can have the commission you obviously want."

Mundungus gave him a lopsided grin. "Let's start with Wiseacre's; they sell telescopes."

The manager of Wiseacre's was impressed by The Doctor's telescope, but was not interested in buying it, saying that he was "unable to value such a rare item." He did, however, suggest a dealer nearby who would be interested.

Susan pleaded to be given the remaining two Sickles "to do some window shopping and buy something magical." Their guide warned her to avoid Knockturn Alley. Then the Doctor and Mundungus mounted the narrow, rickety stairs to an attic showroom.

While The Doctor demonstrated the telescope at the attic window, Mundungus took the opportunity to examine the items on display. Pride of place went to an antique pensieve with a ticket of two and a half thousand Galleons. No item was priced at less than two hundred. He knew better than to pocket anything - a place like this had top-of-the-range security – but it was good to snoop. He was called in to help negotiate a price, and after a little haggling on his part (with The Doctor standing aloof), a cash price was agreed and a bag of Galleons handed over.

They left the premises with Mundungus dazzled by the considerable sum the telescope had fetched and by the 10% commission which he had gained with such little effort. By now there were far fewer people about, it was starting to get dark and they had to look for Susan.

She was found eventually, having spent the two Sickles on what looked like an electric torch but was labelled "Owl droppings removed. For home and office use. Just point and click."

By now many shops, including Ollivander's, had closed. Susan was given a handful of Galleons with which to rush to Flourish &amp; Blotts to buy some elementary text books. Mundungus gave her what looked like a tiny compass: "The needle al'us points at me, Miss, use it to find us."

When she was out of earshot, Mundungus explained to The Doctor that they could not buy a wand in Ollivander's anyway, because Ollivander was scrupulous as to whom he sold a wand. "He won't sell a wand to you 'less you have 'proof of identity', and I doubt he would sell one to me."

"He knows you then Mr Fletcher. But I expect you know where I _can_ get one."

"There's more than one and the nearest is as good as any: The Junk Shop in Diagon Alley is always open to me, and aint fussy 'bout who it deals with. They buy and sell broken wands, and broken wands can sometimes be mended. It'll cost a bit, but you aint short of the ready now."

Within fifteen minutes The Doctor had a working, second-hand wand ("fully refurbished, guaranteed for 3 months"), Susan had a bag which held several heavy books, but which felt light as a feather, and Mundungus Fletcher had pockets full of Galleons and a smile he could not suppress. He led them back into the Leaky Cauldron. "Doctor, I hope we can do business again soon. If you want to get in touch just talk to the barman."

"That man," said the Doctor to Mundungus's departing back, "could be very useful. It's a pity he is not to be trusted. Let's get our 'loot' back to the TARDIS."

_**To be continued …**_


	6. A Visit to Gringotts

**Chapter 6 – A Visit to Gringotts**

The Doctor had, after a long delay, got his hands on a wand and was studying it in the TARDIS. But he found that the wand would do nothing, it seemed completely dead. Yet in the Junk Shop, Mundungus had done several things with the wand, and he had been able to raise a few sparks with it quite easily.

"Susan, I am missing something. This magic wand doesn't work for me now, but it did in Diagon Alley. Could you have a go?"

Susan accepted the wand and half-heartedly brandished it. "Nothing. At Hogsmeade, in that filthy pub, I felt something. Could it be that wands only work in magical places?"

"Perhaps, wand magic is baffling me. Those books you bought are full of utterly amazing things that can be done with a wand, but not one word on _why_ they work. It is the prevailing British culture: when someone asks 'how does it work?' they are asking for operating instructions and not the fundamental principles."

"Yes Grandfather. Have you thought of going back to The Leaky Cauldron and trying it there? If it doesn't work in somewhere so obviously magical then ask for your money back."

"I've had a thought: is the TARDIS the problem?" He opened the door and stepped outside. Very soon there was a loud bang and he was rushing back in for a fire extinguisher. "I was right! I'm getting results outside of the TARDIS."

However, by the Monday afternoon, when Susan was back from school, he was not in a good mood. "However hard I try I'm not getting the results I should; I can make bigger sparks, and such like, but I cannot get even the simplest spells in those books to work. I lack control. One thing a Time Lord should manage is control, mental and physical."

"Grandfather, you are becoming obsessive. It may be that the wand doesn't suit you. You know that each witch and wizard has to have a wand chosen to suit them; it seems to be very important when you're just beginning."

"I thought the same. I shall have to go back to Diagon Alley and demand that the wand shop provide me with a suitable wand; they are supposed to be the experts."

Susan laughed. "Grandfather, I know what is troubling you: it's that you've found something important where you are _not_ the expert. You want to understand everything, and it really bothers you when you don't."

"Nonsense."

"Well, have you made _any_ progress on why wands work?"

"None. But I've discovered how that book-bag you got works. It is most ingenious; the answer is in the very fabric of the bag and its draw-string. Very similar to some of the technology in the TARDIS; far too advanced for 20th century Earth. Where are these wizards getting such technology from? I cannot believe they have developed it themselves."

"Perhaps it is just magic."

"Susan, do not tease!"

She said "sorry" but continued to smile.

"You are right, my dear, I am getting too intense. We shall take a little holiday."

The TARDIS disappeared with the now usual wheezing noise and returned soon after, its occupants having spent a relaxing weekend break on a very distant tourist planet. The sparkle was back in their eyes. However, The Doctor had managed to mix a little work with pleasure: unknown to Susan he had tried the wand there, and it had not worked on that planet, either inside or outside the TARDIS.

The next day, while Susan was at Coal Hill School, The Doctor used the TARDIS for a series of experiments, travelling back in time, trying various places on Earth, on Mars, and several other planets, near and far. He found that wands only work on Earth, and did not start working here until after 400BC. By the time Susan returned to the junkyard he had a theory that someone or something had brought an alien device to Earth and that this was the source of all magic.

"Grandfather, I've been looking at a book on 'Magical Creatures.' It's intended for eleven-year olds, but it's still very informative. There is a whole chapter on House Elves – that's what they call the little creature you said was an 'Ealf.' It says they have a strong magic of their own."

"Really? The Ealfs I knew were very simple, practical and un-magical." He took the proffered book and speed read the House Elf chapter. "Curious: apart from the magic powers it sounds exactly like them."

"Most of the 'magical creatures' in the book are simply animals, like dragons."

"Dragons! Dragons are real? Fire breathing, flying, sitting-on-treasure dragons?"

"No mention of treasure, but otherwise yes: fire breathing, flying dumb beasts."

"Well, well, another old tale proved true! Any _bright_ 'magical creatures?'"

"There are centaurs and goblins. I think I saw a goblin in Diagon Alley; outside that big white building. At the time I thought he was another Ealf, but I now know that building is Gringotts Bank, which is run entirely by goblins."

The Doctor quickly read the chapter on goblins. "They certainly sound interesting. Do we have anything else on them?"

"There is this little book on 'The Goblin Wars,' it's deathly dull."

The Doctor flipped through that too. "It takes real talent to make warfare, death and wide-spread destruction seem that uninteresting. We've done enough book reading, don't you think? Let's go and meet some goblins!"

The TARDIS materialised earlier that afternoon in a quiet spot close to the Leaky Cauldron. The Doctor and Susan casually strolled into the Leaky Cauldron as though they were regulars and went straight through into the back yard. The Doctor tapped the appropriate brick three times and was gratified to see the archway form. They went through into Diagon Alley.

"Grandfather, did you know that you'd be able to do that?"

"Not at all. But I was looking forward to trying. Now, Gringotts Bank it is."

A goblin flunky saluted them as they walked up the steps and through the outer doors; as they approached them the inner doors were opened by other goblins who bowed them through and into the great marble hall of the bank.

"Banks always go in for an ostentatious show, Susan. For some reason customers find it reassuring that the bank they trust with their money spends so much on unnecessary and expensive decoration."

"And is Sir a customer?" A goblin dressed all in black was suddenly standing very close to them.

"I have no vault here; I prefer my own security measures. I also favour the dictum 'neither a lender nor a borrower be.'"

"If Sir" – and there was almost a snarl in the way the goblin said 'Sir' – "If Sir is not a customer then he must leave. The Bank is not a tourist attraction for idle muggles."

The Doctor smiled down indulgently at the little figure and raised the inconspicuous little case he was carrying in one hand. "I wish to explore your facilities as an _exchange_; I have some samples of exotic currencies with me, coins and such like."

"Would Sir be the gentleman who recently sold a rather unusual telescope? I will find someone to see what you have to offer us."

Susan had drifted away a few steps and had been studying the goblin tellers behind the long counter. "Are none of your staff female? Every face looks male."

The little figure drew up to its full height. "The Bank does not discuss its employment policies with outsiders. Nor, Miss, do goblins talk about themselves; our affairs are private."

He led them across the great hall to a little 'office' and sat them down in uncomfortable chairs facing an enormous empty desk. The walls were grey and roughly plastered and the floor was bare boards; no ostentation here. Another goblin, dressed in a dark red suit came in and sat down in a high chair behind the desk. He looked very old, his wispy beard was white, his head wrinkled and bald. "You have 'samples' to show me?"

The Doctor produced an early Roman gold Aureus and a silver Denarius. The goblin examined them with an eye piece, weighed them on tiny scales and made notes in a huge notebook. "These appear to be genuine. Such coins come our way from time to time. We could only offer you their scrap value; you would do much better trading them in the muggle world. There are collectors there who would pay large sums for them. Anything else?"

"Thank you for your honesty. What about jewels?" The Doctor produced a diamond the size of a hen's egg. This too was carefully scrutinised, including shining different coloured lights through it. More notes were made.

"This jewel seems flawless; it is too good to be true. You wish to sell it?"

"That depends …"

"On price? Quite. The Bank would not buy it, but we could lend money against it as security. No? Or we could hold it in a secure vault for you, and perhaps find you a buyer in time. Among our wealthiest clients there are few to whom we could recommend such a jewel as an investment."

"Perhaps," said The Doctor, "I will keep hold of it for now. Can I rely on you for confidentiality? I would not want it known that I have such a jewel in my possession."

"Sir, Gringotts prides itself on its discretion and its security."

The Doctor produced a few other items, including early Chinese paper money and coins from ancient Mars and further afield. The old goblin examined everything carefully, but showed only muted interest. After empty politenesses all round The Doctor and Susan left the bank with nothing agreed.

"That was fascinating, grandfather, but did we learn anything?"

"Inscrutable those goblins aren't they? I wonder why we have not come across them before. Did we learn anything? Oh yes: I had a scanner hidden in this carrying case. Once that diamond had his attention I ran a full scan on him. There is no doubt: goblins are an Earth species, just as much as humans are."

"So goblins did not bring magic to Earth?"

"No. We are no further forward."

They were standing outside Ollivanders. The little shop had been recently painted and bright gold lettering above the door read _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382BC_. Susan pointed to the sign: "That date's a bit of a coincidence isn't it?"

"It is indeed. Time I think to go shopping for a proper wand."

_**To be continued …**_


	7. Mr Ollivander

**Chapter 7 – Mr Ollivander**

The bell on the door tinkled as they slipped in. It was dim inside the shop which appeared empty. The Doctor was in no mood to be kept waiting and called "shop" loudly. He must have been heard, because a tall, thin figure immediately apparated close to them. Mr Ollivander was pale faced, and in the gloom Susan had the fleeting impression that she was facing a grandfather clock.

"Welcome to Ollivanders. If it is wands you want then you have come to the right place."

"It is a very precise date, 382BC, can it be true?" asked The Doctor.

"It is a very old family tradition. The Ollivanders came to these islands with the Roman invaders and the business has been handed down within the family ever since. I have every confidence in its accuracy. Now, you wish to buy a wand from me?"

"Let us start with that. I acquired my first wand recently, but I have had very poor results with it, so I have come to the expert."

"Very wise. May I ask your names, I like to know my customers?"

"I am known as The Doctor and this is my granddaughter, Susan, who has been travelling with me. You must be Mr Ollivander."

"That is so. You must be new to London Doctor, I have not seen you before. You have only recently had your first wand? That is unusual for someone of your … maturity. May I see it?"

The Doctor put it down on the counter, and Mr Ollivander gingerly picked it up between finger and thumb. "Where did you get this? The Junk Shop wasn't it? O dear me. Not one of ours, of course, but serviceable. At least it was before it was broken. Not a good repair; it is difficult to fix a wand that old."

He put it down again with a shudder of distaste. "Might I ask you to show what you _can_ do with it?"

The Doctor opened the shop door and looked out before giving the wand a slight flick. A brief jet of red flame shot out across the street with a roar.

"My goodness, I really don't think you should use that wand again. May I try?" Mr Ollivander pulled on a heavy glove before taking the wand. He walked out into the street and pointed the wand skywards. "_lux splendida_." The tip of the wand glowed a dazzling red, then a dull orange, and finally it spouted sooty yellow flames. There was a smell of burning.

"Leave this wand with me Doctor, and I will deal with the Junk Shop."

"Are you willing to provide me with a good wand? I've been told that you are fussy about who you sell to."

"And," said Susan, "We've been told that you mustn't give a wand to a muggle."

"There is no law against that _yet_, though some in the Ministry would like one. What the Ministry does require is that wands must be kept from the hands of elves and goblins. I am happy to do business with your grandfather: he might not be a wizard, but he is neither elf, goblin nor – in my view – a muggle.

"In fact, Doctor, you are quite an anomaly. My problem is going to be finding a wand to suit. One thing Ollivanders does not compromise on is matching wand to wizard. I will find the wand for you, even if I have to craft it specially. Fortunately the back-to-school rush is over."

"Perhaps we could try a few wands now?" asked The Doctor.

"Of course, as many as you like. Try this: cherry wood with phoenix feather core, only five inches."

Over the following hour The Doctor tried almost fifty wands and two ancient staves brought up from a basement storeroom. Mr Ollivander finally expressed his satisfaction with an eight inch iron-wood triple-core wand. "A phoenix tail feather and hippogriff wing feather bound together with a single strand of tail hair from a new-born unicorn. I made it as an apprentice piece when I was learning the trade with my uncle. Much thicker than the usual wand, of course, and rigid. I'm so pleased to have finally found the right person to wield it."

"Thank you," said The Doctor as the wand was placed in its box and handed over to him. "I am a beginner when it comes to magic wands. Is there someone you could recommend who gives personal instruction?"

"There are a select few who give advanced training. One of them may be willing to give elementary lessons for an interesting case such as yourself. I can make enquiries."

"I am also interested in _why_ wands work. I have done some preliminary investigations already. Did you know that there is a place in the muggle world, hardly a quarter of a mile from here, where magic wands do not work?"

Mr Ollivander looked startled. "Take me there now Doctor. If your assertion is correct I'll not only make you a present of that wand, I will give you lessons myself."

Moments later the three of them, Mr Ollivander draped in a dark cape and wearing a black top hat which did not match his brown suit, were walking to the TARDIS. The Doctor kept quiet, while Susan chattered on about House Elves. Did Mr Ollivander have one? It was the only time she ever heard him laugh. "No Susan, only the landed gentry can afford house elves; they are passed down from generation to generation like heirlooms. The vast majority of people in the wizarding world can go a lifetime without seeing one, unless it's at Hogwarts; the school has dozens you know. Even there they are rarely seen."

"House elves have powerful magic don't they? Is that why they are not allowed wands?"

Mr Ollivander dropped his voice to a near whisper. "Elves do have powerful magic, and it's nothing to do with wands. An elf doesn't need a wand anymore than you need a walking stick."

The Doctor unlocked the door of the police callbox and ushered their visitor inside. "Welcome to the TARDIS Mr Ollivander, it is our home."

"Very roomy," said Mr Ollivander, "but it does make me wonder whether you are really a novice at magic."

"TARDIS stands for 'Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.' This is not just our home, it is a machine for travelling in both time and space. We are new to the wizarding world, but we are experienced time travellers. And, 'no', it is not done by magic."

"So this is the place where wands do not work? Curious. May I try for myself?" Without waiting for a reply he tried his wand. "_Avis!_" Nothing happened.

"Not a cheep out of it. Doctor, I salute you. A method, whether charm, jinx or potion, for stopping any wand from working would be extremely valuable, and you seem to be the first to have one. Have you shown it to the Ministry?"

"Would you believe it, Susan? We show the man into a TARDIS, which is bigger on the inside than the outside. I tell him that it is a machine for travelling anywhere in time and space, and all that bothers him is that his wand doesn't work!"

He turned back to the wizard. "Mr Ollivander, let me amaze you further. I have travelled back in time and found that before about 400BC a wand does not work anywhere. Now, does that surprise you?"

"I am beyond surprise. The entire Department of Mysteries has not managed to move a mouse back more than two or three minutes, and you can go back over two thousand years without using magic at all! It is a lot to take in Doctor."

"Will you come with us? We may discover the very origins of magic! I propose to travel back to 382BC and see the first wands being made."

"How could I turn down such an offer? Are we going now?"

"We could, but _where_ to? Where were your predecessors in 382BC? The Romans didn't get here before 55BC, and your ancestors probably came following Claudius's invasion a hundred years later."

"Why, the city of Rome itself. There is doubt about that."

"Then Rome, 382BC it is!" The Doctor was at the central console; moments later the police callbox faded and vanished from view.

_**To be continued …**_


	8. 382BC

**Chapter 8 – 382BC**

The costume store of the Tardis is extensive and comprehensive. Both The Doctor and Ollivander dressed in plain white woollen togas. Susan was too young for the toga, so she wore a modest outfit suitable for a citizen's daughter, and supplemented it with a 20th century shoulder bag rather like a satchel.

"Err Doctor," said Mr Ollivander, "My spoken Latin is very limited. I hope yours is better."

"'_Small Latin and less Greek'_, eh, Mr Ollivander? Don't worry about that: the TARDIS will do all the work for us: we talk in normal English and people hear Latin. People speak Latin and we hear English. It is, I confess, rather like magic."

"Hum, it must be quite a spell to do that. But please, let us be a little less formal, do call me Garrick, both of you."

"Garrick it is then. Now Susan, what do you know about Rome at this time?"

"It is a republic, with a ruling senate, but not a democracy: the top families have all the real power. There are slaves and citizens. It is a city state ruling only a small part of Italy, and _much_ smaller than it will become. Oh, and it's always fighting; the army is very important."

"Good, perhaps going to that school isn't a complete waste. It is 382BC, do you know what the last really important event was?"

Susan shook her head, and nor could Mr Ollivander remember.

"Only five years ago the city was sacked by Gaulish invaders. They conquered the whole city apart from the Capitol, that's a fortress on top of one of the city's hills. You have heard the story of the sacred geese perhaps?"

Susan looked puzzled, but Mr Ollivander nodded.

"Whatever the truth, the Gauls did not stay. They plundered the city and left taking a lot of booty with them, and leaving a great deal of destruction behind.

"I've brought the TARDIS to the start of the year, that is, the beginning of March. I propose that we go out and take a look round. Garrick, you are the magic expert, how do we find the wizarding world, will you know a fellow magician when you see one?"

"In ancient times, Doctor, magic was in the open, not hidden from the muggle world. We need only ask for the magicians. I should be able to tell frauds and conjurers from the real thing."

"Splendid! The first thing, of course, will be to see whether our wands work. The TARDIS is tucked away in a burnt-down shop near the Forum and the temple of Vesta, a very convenient starting point and hidden from the street."

The three of them emerged from the TARDIS. The burnt-down premises were open to the sky, and plants ranging from stunted weeds to substantial saplings were growing among the debris. They had to pick their way around fallen beams and piles of bricks and stones. The whole area seemed deserted, though the sounds of many people someway off were clearly discernable.

Mr Ollivander pointed upwards with his wand and tried "_Avis!_" Nothing happened. He tried a shake of the wrist and again nothing happened. The Doctor did not even bother to try his new wand. Susan dived into her bag and produced what looked like an electric torch.

"It's to remove owl droppings. I tried it in the junk yard and it vanishes pigeon mess."

They soon found some bird droppings and the little device silently removed them all. "I got it from a little stall in Diagon Alley for two Sickles."

"Then you got a bargain," said Mr Ollivander, "But the important thing is that some magic does work properly. Do you have anything else?"

Susan again dived into her bag and produced the little gadget which Mundungus Fletcher had given her. She handed it to Mr Ollivander. "This is a Person Pointer," he said. "Do you know who it is set to?"

"It was given me by that strange young man who got grandfather his wand; I think he said his name was Mundungus."

"That young rapscallion! Well he won't be troubling the world for the next two thousand years and more, so it has nobody to point to." He peered at it closely. "That is curious: it seems to be pointing at your travelling box."

The Doctor took it and wandered around the ruins. "You are right; perhaps it points to the TARDIS because that is the way to the past and so to Fletcher." He handed it back to Mr Ollivander. "Take it, it should give you a means of finding your way back here should you get lost. I propose that we split up: you and Susan stick close together and try and find some wizards, and I will do some exploring. Meet back at the TARDIS before dark."

They left together, heading in the direction they thought led to the Forum. The ruined shop was in a narrow alley with a high stone wall on one side and what had been a row of shop fronts on the other. All had been burnt, but some were at least partly repaired and a few open for business. One sold leather goods, another cloth, a third clay pots and tableware. There were few shoppers about and no one paid them much attention. Susan asked Mr Ollivander what he was looking for.

"A shop that sells medicines, remedies and potions. They will either be wizards themselves or will know where to find them."

They stopped at a tiny booth which looked promising, but found it was only selling culinary herbs and a few spices. When he and Susan turned to move on they found that The Doctor was no longer with them. They walked on into the Forum, a bustling and busy space. Their alley emerged into the middle of a long row of shops and other businesses. Apart from shops there were temporary stalls and handcarts loaded with fruit, vegetables, bread and all sorts of consumables. Everywhere there were crowds, the place hummed. "Now we should find something" thought Susan. Mr Ollivander inquired at a barber surgeon's and was directed to a tiny shop further down the row.

The shop was dingy and apparently deserted; it seemed to consist of a dark awning over a stout wooden frame. Mr Ollivander stepped over the threshold with Susan close on his heels. Under the awning there was a large table of rough, untreated wood, and on it was a mound of crocodile skins, thick with dust. The back wall was of stone, evidently the outer wall of one of the many buildings in and around the Forum.

"Susan, what do you see in that wall?"

She stepped up to it: "There's a hidden doorway!" And before he could stop her she walked through it. Quite forgetting that it would not work, he brandished his wand and dashed after her.

Back where they had left the TARDIS the area remained silent and still, apart from the odd bird or small creature scuttling through. Then the door of the TARDIS slowly opened and a man in 20th century clothes looked out. A few minutes later he had wedged the TARDIS door ajar and was sitting on a pile of bricks smoking a cigarette, the first tobacco ever smoked in the whole of Europe. Having completed his smoke, Mundungus Fletcher set out cautiously in the direction of distant voices.

_**To be continued …**_


	9. Magic in Rome

**Chapter 9 – Magic in Rome**

Mr Ollivander found himself in a narrow passageway or tunnel, with Susan a few steps ahead, silhouetted by the sunlight at its end. Feeling both foolish and relieved he lowered his wand and quickly caught up with her. "Susan, doorways like that are hidden for a reason; it isn't safe to go charging through them."

Together they advanced cautiously towards the light. As they got closer they could hear the faint, rhythmic beating of a drum, like a heartbeat. He bent down and whispered in her ear: "Be slow and silent – no talking, nothing to draw attention to ourselves – and if I'm right we will be welcome."

The tunnel led to a cloistered quadrangle about the size of two tennis courts, bright with spring sunshine. There were people dressed in what resembled Judo costumes, bare footed on white sand. They were not fighting, though, but dancing an intricate ever-changing dance in time to the beat of the drum. Susan, with the keen abilities of a Time Lord's daughter, counted forty dancers ranging from about ten years old to grey hairs, as they gyrated to a bewildering choreography. She watched open mouthed at the complexity and perfection of the dance: each dancer had their own moves and yet the whole was precisely co-ordinated. Her grandfather had taken her to see the ballet at the Bolshoi; that was more spectacular, more athletic than this but never half as complicated. Here there was no dancing on points, no great leaps, no pretty costumes, no long corps-de-ballet lines in unison; but she knew which she preferred. She pulled a face at the thought of her grandfather analysing it mathematically.

Under the cloisters, mostly in deep shade, was a large audience, some sitting, some standing, but all still as statues. The drummer she could not see, and the acoustics of the place made the sound seem to come from all points at once. Over a period of several minutes it became clear that the beat of the drum was not fixed; it was continuously and gradually changing, sometimes quicker and sometimes slower. It was also becoming quieter, only its monotonous pitch never changed. It became so quiet that it was hard to hear above the noise of the dancers themselves, yet still they danced on. It fell silent, and still they danced on, more slowly and stately now. Finally, all the dancers came together to form an inward-facing square with a tall man at each corner, and all bowed low. The dance was finished.

There was a pause long enough for the watchers to take a deep, collective breath and give a deep sigh of relief. Then formality was over, there was no applause, no cheers, but there was a smile on every face. Neighbour spoke to neighbour; parents called to children; the dancers, drained and exhausted, but pleased with their performances, trudged wearily into the cool shade. Drinks were offered to them; there was a buzz of a happy conversation all around.

"That," said Mr Ollivander with a catch in his voice, "is something no one in our own time has ever seen. I had no idea it could be so powerful. Well, well!"

He realised that Susan had not understood the import of what they had witnessed. "They have never taught it at Hogwarts or Durmstrang, and it was dropped from the curriculum of Beauxbatons Academy centuries ago I believe. Having seen that, I wonder why."

"Sorry Mr Ollivander, I don't understand."

"Magic, Susan! Everyone has heard of 'the magic of the dance.' What has been achieved here is the weaving of a powerful charm by the medium of dance alone. And what a spell! Such strength! The city will feel its benefit for a hundred years at least I should think."

"Do you think so?" asked a man overhearing him, "It is gratifying to have the endorsement of a man of magic like yourself, someone independent. That dance is so difficult, but it went off perfectly don't you think?"

"We did not see it all," said Mr Ollivander, "But what we saw was indeed flawless."

"We? Oh, you mean the child? Is she yours?"

"We are not related. Her, er, head of family has placed her in my care for a little while. We recently arrived in the city together."

The two men bowed ceremoniously to each other; then as now wizards rarely touch, even to shake hands. Soon the man, a junior senator, had them join his family group: himself, his wife Lativia, and his younger daughter, who had been one of the youngest in the dance. There were also three slaves with them, an elderly man and two women who were not – of course – introduced. While Lativia, prompted by her husband, attempted small talk with Susan, the two women slaves (who were mother and daughter Lativia explained) fussed around her daughter, who was now lying on a mat, exhausted by her dancing. The elder slave bowed to her master and spoke to him softly.

"It's probably just the after effects of the potions," he explained, "but we are concerned for little Lavinia. There is a doctor here somewhere." He signalled for the old male slave to follow him and strode off down the colonnade.

Lativia explained to her guests: "To obtain the necessary perfection all the dancers have to take drugs which give the ability to remember their steps and the stamina to perform them. It is a privilege to partake in the Great Dance, but all the preparation - the training and learning - takes its toll. And as you've seen, the performance is very taxing. Never before have we attempted so ambitious a dance. Lavinia was so keen to take part: she looks up to her elder sister, you know. She has just become a Vestal; a great honour for the family."

She paused, looking around for her husband. "We had expected Lavinia's sister to be here. Her duties as a Vestal are not burdensome and she had said she would come. It's not far to the temple, and no one would interfere with a Vestal. Perhaps she arrived late and could not find us; once the dance has started it is so important for there to be no disturbance."

Susan silently watched the two slaves around their young charge. She wished she had some medical knowledge; Mr Ollivander was wishing much the same. The child was clearly very ill, but he had no experience of medical magic and felt helpless without a working wand. The elder slave began to cry; she had seen such symptoms before and was fearful for the child's life. Only now did Lativia come to realise the seriousness of her daughter's condition; she knelt down beside her ailing child, feeling her brow and taking her hand in hers. Lavinia was not asleep, she was unconscious.

Mr Ollivander took Susan to one side. "Susan, could your grandfather help?"

"He knows just about everything about terrestrial biology, but I've never seen him treat a patient. And we don't know where he is exactly. There is a medical pack in the TARDIS which would help though! I know how to use it, I think."

"Could we bring it here?"

"Yes, it's quite small and has its own power. Do we have time to get it and get back?"

"I could get there and back in a flash, but you'll have to come with me. It's risky, are you willing?"

"I can't stand here and watch that child die."

"Nor can I. Grab hold of me and hold on tight."

He took a good look around to make sure he knew exactly where to come back to. Then, taking Susan with him, he disapparated.

_**To be continued …**_


	10. Dung's Daring Deed

**Chapter 10 – Dung's Daring Deed**

Mundungus Fletcher had invested his windfall 'commission' in an invisibility cloak. The cheapest of these are little more than children's toys; he was able to afford a mid-priced one. The wearer would see clearly, while invisible to all but the most perceptive. It would last a year, unless used in direct sunshine, and it would muffle any small sounds the wearer might make. Its major defect was that the wearer could only hear muffled sounds, making eavesdropping almost impossible.

When Mundungus saw The Doctor and Susan, accompanied by Ollivander of all people, hurry through the Leaky Cauldron, he felt compelled to tag on quietly behind. When they stopped at the police callbox he put on the cloak and was able to slip in before Susan closed the door. He backed into a corner where nobody would barge into him and waited. He was able to gather only that they were going somewhere. Was it Rome? He wasn't sure. He saw the others leave, dressed for a fancy-dress party, and was puzzled: he couldn't picture either The Doctor or Mr Ollivander letting their hair down and enjoying themselves. Once they were gone he had a wander around looking for something small and valuable that wouldn't be missed for a while: he had heard a wild rumour about a diamond 'as big as a hen's egg', but saw nothing like that. The central control panels he left well alone – touching those could only make trouble. Frustratingly, the internal doors would not open for him, though earlier The Doctor and the others had passed freely back and forth. There was nothing for it but to go outside and see what he could see.

Outside looked like a bomb site – there had been plenty about in the east end when he was little. He was able to hold the door open with one hand while reaching out for a short length of timber with the other and wedged the door open. Outside he sat down on some rubble while deciding what to do next. By habit he opened a packet of cigarettes – no 'roll your own' for him while he was in the money – and put one to his lips. His reverie was brought short when his wand failed to light it. Feeling smugly pleased with himself he produced a muggle cigarette lighter from one of his many pockets. He had liked showing it off to his friends – "That is a bit of class that is" – until the novelty wore off. Fortunately it was still nearly full, and he was soon puffing in satisfaction.

He would have a look around and figure out where he was; he had the invisibility cloak if he needed it. Half-way down the alley he remembered that he had left the door wedged open. He shrugged and walked on; there was no way he could judge whether that was the best thing to have done. The people he passed in the alley were all wearing strange clothing; some even had on Roman togas like The Doctor and Ollivander. He was getting strange looks; his smart new suit in a bold check did not fit in. He did his level best to look unconcerned, that he had every right to be there – his way of life had given him plenty of practice at that. When he could, he dodged into empty premises and put on the invisibility cloak; now he only had to worry about people colliding into him.

Coming to the end of the alleyway he was struck by the sights, sounds and smells of the Forum, not that he knew where he was. He was greatly puzzled: this was somewhere _foreign_. But when he took off the cloak for a moment he found that everyone was speaking English. Was he under the influence of some strange enchantment? Or could it be some vast film set? Was he dreaming? Whatever, there were too many people dashing about for him to keep the cloak on, and he didn't want to be seen too much until he knew exactly what was going on. He would find somewhere less busy, somewhere he could get a wider view of the place; he looked for a way up hill.

Near the base of a steep hill was a quiet wooded area, and inside that was a building largely consisting of a circle of columns. He could hear frantic shouting, male and female coming from it. Curious, he checked that his invisibility cloak was covering him and ran towards the commotion. The entrance was open. Inside there was young woman held down on her knees by two men. Facing her was a furious, red-faced man who was obviously in charge. To one side were three women standing together, all facing the man. The man was shouting so loudly that even with the cloak on there was no mistaking his words:

"The sacred fire is out. It was your task, and you failed, you are the guilty one. Let us pray that no new catastrophe falls upon the city. The fire will be re-kindled with due ceremony, and you will suffer the ordained punishment. What have you to say?"

During this repeated rant, Mundungus, confident in his cloak, had moved around and nearer to the centre of events. He was now near to the kneeling woman and could see her face. There were tears running down it, but she was angry and defiant. She shouted back her reply:

"The fault is not mine: the fuel would not burn, it has been hexed! Beneath it the embers may still glow. Act quickly and fire may yet blaze up."

The three other women moved towards the central hearth, but froze at a gesture from the red-faced man. "Vestals, am your priest? I say the fire is out. My word is final! The girl will be flogged. See how she defies me."

Mundungus fancied himself as a rescuer of damsels in distress (as young men should), and had quickly taken a great dislike to this unpleasant man. He kicked him on the ankle as hard as he could and went straight on to the little pile of firewood in the centre. He did not think that 'hexed' wood would fail to burn when doused with lighter fuel. Fumbling with his lighter, he managed to open it and pour most of its contents over the wood. Before he could raise a spark from the flint there was a glimmer of light: the girl had been right! There were flames; it was time to scarper.

At the entrance he paused and put his wand tip to his throat, forgetting that wands did not work in this strange place. What he meant to be a booming command was heard, thanks to the invisibility cloak, as a whining, spectral voice, but was just as effective:

"Let the girl go. See to the fire. I have spoken."

Before anyone could wonder whether there was a man behind the voice, he was gone. Mundungus was rather proud of that "I have spoken," but his nerve now failed him. He ran back to the TARDIS without pausing, not even bothered that the sunlight was damaging his expensive cloak. The door was still wedged open, exactly as he had left it. With a gasp of relief he removed the wedge and shut the door behind him.

Not a fit man, he collapsed into a chair, out of breath, and waited for the pain in his side to ease. Once recovered, and his heartbeat nearly back to normal, he began to think what to do. If need be he could reveal himself to The Doctor and beg to be taken home, i.e. Diagon Alley. He no longer cared where he was or what was going on, it was all too much. What bothered him most, however, was that his wand did not work. He tried it again, repeatedly, even trying the elementary exercises they had had to do in the first year at Hogwarts. Nothing! Had he become a muggle?

He started going through his pockets as calmly as he could manage, and methodically laid out all his possessions on the floor in front of him. There was the invisibility cloak - he knew that worked; his wand which did not; a person pointer which was not pointing anywhere; money; his cigarettes, and a little hipflask of 'tonic.' He downed the tonic in one go and felt better. Then he took out a cigarette and looked around for his lighter. Not there! He went through every pocket, and checked carefully through the scattered items he had spread across the floor. Thinking back he realised that he had left the lighter in two parts right next to the fire. At least the lighter could not be traced back to him; if it was, he could always claim that he had lost it earlier, that he had been robbed. Sighing, he pocketed all his things and arranged the cloak ready to hide.

He was asleep in the chair when Susan, supported by Mr Ollivander, stumbled into the TARDIS.

_**To be continued …**_


	11. The Doctor Roams

**Chapter 11 – The Doctor Roams**

The Doctor had slipped away as soon as Garrick and Susan were distracted. The wand maker was only interested in finding fellow magicians and tracing the origins of the family business; whilst before anything else the Doctor simply wanted to do a little sightseeing; he had never visited Rome before, not in any century. He was pleased and impressed by the activity and optimism around him; the city was being rebuilt and improved following the wholesale destruction of the Gauls' invasion. He made his way gradually across the Forum, listening to what people were saying, occasionally asking questions. He mingled with ordinary citizens, with free men and foreigners. He found himself at the waterside; goods, people and building materials were entering the city from all sides, particularly from the Tiber. He saw barges full of great stones being unloaded onto carts by struggling slaves. The stones, he learnt, were for the new city wall.

Much of what he heard was argument about the recent war and the near-defeat of the city. Some blamed the city's wizards for the success of the Gauls. One citizen said: "We relied on the gods and magic for our protection and were let down. We are only now building a city wall we should have had in place a hundred years ago. In future we shall rely on the army, not on priests and wizards."

A slave driver told him: "We thought our magicians were powerful, but those Gauls had stronger spells; that's why we failed to defeat them for so long. Only in the end did we manage to send them packing."

Along the quayside he made a few inquiries about Gaulish magic and wands. He got some hostile looks, and narrowly escaped assault by drunken bargees. His rescuer was a sea captain who had travelled up-river with a valuable cargo to oversee.

"Take care sir, Magicians and Gauls are delicate subjects in Rome at present. You should talk to my brother; he is something of an expert. His premises are close by."

The captain could not leave his cargo, so he instructed one of his men to escort The Doctor. He was led away from the riverside and taken through a wine shop to the garden behind. His guide pointed to a man sitting on a long bench beneath a tree, shouted "A visitor for you, Master!" and ran off without waiting for thanks or a reply.

"He is afraid of me," said the man, shaking his head. "He has no reason for it, it is just that the common people are uneasy with magicians in their midst. I see that you are dressed as a citizen, excuse me that I do not rise to greet you, stranger. Please do come and sit with me and tell me your business."

The Doctor sat down at the other end of the bench. "I am called The Doctor. I met your brother on the quayside and he suggested that I talk to you. He said that you know about Gaulish magic."

The man fiddled with a walking stick and regarded the Doctor with one eye, the other was blind and a long scar across his face showed why. "I have some experience of the Gauls, certainly. Shall I ring for wine?"

"Thank you."

The man rang a little bell by his side and a small girl, no older than nine, came running in barefoot. She stood in front of the two men, hands behind her back, looking down demurely at the ground by her feet.

"Tell your mother to bring a cup of the good wine for my guest."

"Yes uncle." She skipped away.

"I am Cato, named after the family patron. My grandfather was born a slave, and people find it unsettling that someone of such lowly origins is able to perform magic. However, we are moving up in the world: my brother and I own a ship, a trading business and this wine shop and its grounds. Gardens are rare in this part of the city."

A stern-faced woman arrived carrying a clay cup in each hand. The Doctor rose to greet her and she handed him a cup. "Greetings, sir. May I ask: are you a friend of my brothers?"

Before he could reply Cato spoke first: "Sister, this stranger has been asking questions. He wants to know about our war with the Gauls and about our use of magic. What do you make of him?"

The Doctor and Cato's sister squared up, staring into each others' eyes. The Doctor had an amused, haughty look; the woman stared back intently, stony-faced. She spoke, never taking her eyes from The Doctor's face: "He is a strange fish, brother: he has the arrogance of a magician-priest, but is neither of those. He is no Roman at all."

"I never claimed to be," replied The Doctor, "but I am no enemy of Rome. You will have to take my word for it, however, and if you are trying to read my mind you will not find that easy."

Still fixed on The Doctor, she spoke again to her brother, but now in Sabine: "_He is right about that, his resistance to my __Legilimency is complete_."

"_Not only that_," pronounced The Doctor gleefully, "_but I am rather good at languages!_"

Cato laughed loudly, breaking the tension. "Well done Doctor, you have defeated my sister and she is a most powerful witch. You have earned that wine now. Please sit and tell us about yourself."

"I am a travelling _scholar_," said the Doctor, using the Greeks' word for 'scholar.' He sat down. Cato's sister handed her brother the other wine cup and remained standing herself.

The Doctor turned to her: "Won't you sit with us, my dear?"

She frowned. "You are from Carthage? It is said their magicians have much mastery."

"Not Carthage. My companions and I are from much further away, we arrived in the city only this morning."

"You are not alone?" She was still suspicious of him.

"There are three of us and we split up. My granddaughter is with a magician we befriended recently. He is very interested in magic wands and believes he can find out about them here, in the city."

Cato sipped his wine while his sister, standing over the two men, continued her interrogation: "Then this magician friend of yours is not a Roman either?"

"He is not from any country you will have heard of. In his country magicians use their powers to remain hidden from ordinary people. I believe it is otherwise in Rome?"

Cato spoke up: "All know that there are magicians among the patricians - many priests are magicians - but it is not done to talk of it. There are magicians among the common people too, like myself, but people prefer to ignore our existence."

"And witches?"

Cato laughed. "Sister, you answer that."

"There are many witches in Rome, but only the most powerful of us will admit to being a witch: the priesthood are powerful, and they would rather keep magic for themselves."

"Indeed they would," complained Cato, "A Great Dance to bless the city was performed this very morning, but my sister and I would not have been welcome there. But time passes, Doctor. You came to ask about Gaulish magic, not to listen to me grumbling on.

"I was in the army when the Gauls came down from the north. I saw them in action several times before I was wounded. We are by far the better healers or I would be dead; as it is I lost an eye and need a stick to walk. But in battle they had the mastery; they had a way of cursing that we hadn't encountered before. Our method is to curse the whole enemy army, a lengthy and intricate ceremony; theirs is to embed magicians into their forces who direct simple verbal curses at individuals in our ranks. They picked out commanders and stopped them in their tracks. Without leadership our attack would just crumble."

"But you fought them off. In the end they left the city and headed back north."

"So they did, but carrying loads of booty with them. We saved the city – just - but we lacked the strength to pursue them."

The Doctor sipped from his cup. "Thank you for the wine. In the Forum I overheard talk about the Gauls using 'wands.' What can you tell me about them?"

"They have these little wooden sticks, which don't seem in the least magical, but they point them at their enemies as they shout their curses. It seems to concentrate the curse onto whoever they point at. Once we realised what they were doing we were able to change our tactics. I can show you one." He handed over a stick of wood, tapered at one end. "See what you think of it Doctor."

To the Doctor it seemed just a bit of wood. In return he pulled out the wand that Garrick Ollivander had given him. "The magician I came with made this himself, what do you two make of it?"

Cato examined it with his one eye, and gave it an experimental shake; nothing happened and he passed it to his sister with a shrug. She, however, seemed fascinated by it. "This is magical, amazing! What is it used for?"

"For performing magic: it makes all sorts of spells possible. Except that it doesn't work!"

Cato fidgeted on his bench, choking back a guffaw: "It doesn't work, eh! Doctor, bring your wand-making friend here, I would like to meet him."

The Doctor stroked his chin with a mischievious twinkle in his eye, "Oh, I will! You could be just the people he is looking for."


	12. Medical Blue is Muggle Magic

**Chapter 12 – Medical Blue is Muggle Magic**

Garrick Ollivander was skilled at Apparition, but rarely performed Side-Along Apparition. Susan was unprepared for the unpleasant sensation – nobody ever is the first time – and there had been no time to warn her, but she took it better than many witches do. They had Apparated to immediately outside the TARDIS. She wasted no time in unlocking the door, but was dizzy and needed support to stay on her feet.

The clatter of their entry woke Mundungous at once. He leapt to his feet, pulling the cloak around him even as he did so. They were pre-occupied when they came in, had they even noticed him? It seemed not, but he shuffled round to another part of the room to keep well away from them. Susan went through one of those doors that would not open for him, and returned two or three minutes later carrying something heavy and bright blue, some sort of bag. She spoke to Mr Ollivander, but Mundungus, under his cloak, could not make out her words. Ollivander put the blue bag on his back – it was a haversack with straps - and he and Susan hurried out, closing the door before Mundundous could get near to it. If he opened the door now to follow them they might see it open and wonder what was going on. Instead he went to the internal door Susan has just used, but it again refused to open. He even tried some opening spells, with and without his wand, but nothing doing!

Outside, Ollivander had persuaded Susan that he could not take her back the same way; the risk of splinching was too great. Hurriedly, she explained how to use the medical pack: "It's Earth technology, twenty-fourth century, and intended for use after natural disasters. You need no skill to use it: the simplest way is to put the patient's hand into this hole and let the pack do the rest. It'll tell you if you need to do anything else. Go now and good luck, I'll come as fast as I can on foot. Now hurry!"

Mr Ollivander found himself against the wall surrounding the quadrangle. There were fewer people about now, though he had been gone less than five minutes. A few steps away there was a huddle of people standing and kneeling around something on the floor: that must be the child, little Lavinia. Her mother was kneeling next to her, still holding her hand, and the bearded man on the other side was probably a doctor. Ollivander took off the back pack and walked hesitantly forwards, unused to taking control: he was a shopkeeper, not a medic, and was unsure of the muggle magic which Susan had thrust on him.

Lavinia's father grabbed his arm, and hissed in his ear: "Stand back. Give the doctor room; he is one of us though he is a Greek. My child's life is in the balance."

Mr Ollivander nodded and whispered back, "I have brought a remedy which may save her." He lifted up the blue sack.

The senator, a desperate father, called to the doctor: "What hope is there, man?"

"Senator, as I've said: the right potion quickly administered would bring her back to us, but I do not have it with me. I sent your slaves to fetch it from my lodgings, but they have yet to return."

"Doctor, this stranger claims to be holding a remedy. What do I do?"

The doctor paused, feeling his patient's pulse. Meanwhile, sensing the drama, everyone in the area began to congregate around them, silently waiting to see what would happen. "If those slaves are not back in one minute then it could be too late." He hesitated, then: "I can do nothing more, let him show what he can do."

Garrick Ollivander knelt down next to the stricken child and fumbled with the blue pack, looking for the hole which Susan had shown him. Gently he took Lavinia's thin little arm and pushed her hand into the hole, which constricted around the child's wrist. He let go and watched, having no idea what would happen next. Everyone held their breath. In the silence he heard running feet far off and hoped it was Susan, though she could not possibly have covered the distance in so little time.

Little Lavinia lay unconscious on the mat with her mother holding one hand and the bright blue bag enclosing the other. Ollivander and the Greek doctor knelt at her side, waiting for a sign. There was whispering all around; was there more colour in the child's face? There was a woman's voice demanding to know what was going on and a young woman joined the kneeling figures around the child. More people crowded around.

Lavinia stirred a little. The doctor felt for her carotid artery: "Her pulse is a little stronger, there is hope."

As minutes passed Ollivander gave his attention to the blue medical pack, wondering what it could be doing. Finally, it began speaking with a quiet calmly-repeating matter-of-fact voice: _"… Emergency treatment complete, the patient is now out of danger. Complete rest is advised for the next 24 hours. Remove the patient's hand. Resuscitation unnecessary. No injuries detected. Emergency treatment complete …"_

The medical pack was no longer gripping the girl's wrist. Gently, Ollivander removed her hand and stood up; it seemed his part was over. He stood in a daze of relief while various females fussed around the sleeping child. The Greek doctor gave him a deep bow and returned to his patient. Somebody told him that the late arrival was Lavinia's elder sister, the Vestal. Susan arrived and somehow retrieved the medical pack before anyone could become too curious about it.

Lavinia was raised on a litter, asleep but now with a healthy colour to her face, and carried away. Her mother and sister, supporting each other arm-in-arm, followed close behind; they had much to tell each other. The Greek doctor reassured the senator once more and then hurried after the litter.

"Well, stranger, that Greek doctor is a remarkably honest man; he swears that you saved Lavinia's life when he had given up hope. And I don't even know your name?"

"Garrick Ollivander at your service, senator. This is Susan; you should thank her and her grandfather for providing the remarkable magic that treated your daughter."

"We are in your debt, both of you. Please, come and dine with us; it is time for the midday meal and we feast to celebrate the Great Dance. You spoke of a grandfather, is he here?"

While they strolled along Ollivander explained that The Doctor was on his own, somewhere in the City, and that they were to meet together at dusk. He made no mention of the TARDIS or of time travel. As soon as she could, Susan drew Ollivander to one side so that they could speak in private. "Mr Ollivander, we must go back to the TARDIS. Didn't you notice something strange when we went in to collect the medical pack?"

"Do you mean the smell of strong drink?"

"What! … No, I saw somebody or something, just for a bare second as you helped me in, and then they were gone. Bringing back the medical kit was more important, so I said nothing then. But I think there's an intruder in there, and I didn't dare stay inside to face them. Suppose they hurt grandfather? We must go back, now!"

"If there is somebody there, could they do any harm? Could they fly it away?"

"Not unless they are a Time Lord. But they did get in without setting off an alarm; that does sound like time lord work."

"Are you _sure_ you saw someone?"

"Yes! I think we should go back to the TARDIS and wait for grandfather. He'll know what to do."

Mr Ollivander spoke to their host, who had been politely waiting for them out of earshot, and explained that they were concerned about Susan's grandfather and needed to return to their meeting place. It was agreed that they would call on the senator later, either that day or the following, and with his repeated thanks and blessings they parted.

Mr Ollivander still refused to apparate with Susan, saying that if it had occurred to him earlier that he couldn't repair a splinch then he would not have tried Side-Along Apparation with her, even in an emergency. "Susan, your medical pack may or may not be able to correct a splinch, but even if it could they can be agonisingly painful; that's one reason why you are not allowed to try until you are seventeen."

They walked briskly back towards the Tardis, Ollivander wearing the heavy medical pack on his shoulders. "Susan, why is it this colour?"

"That's the sort of question grandfather is always asking me. Well, it stands out well doesn't it? You would have no trouble finding it in a hurry, and it glows in the dark. Anyway, on this planet blue signifies 'medical.'

"Does it? Both in the wizarding and muggle worlds it's usually a red cross on white."

"In the twenty fourth century it's just that blue colour. Don't you have blue sticking plasters? Don't emergency ambulances show a flashing blue light?"

"Hum. … Do you have any means of contacting your grandfather? We don't want to spend hours hanging around outside your TARDIS not daring to go in."

"Oh no! I left it behind in the TARDIS, in my shoulder bag."

"There's no way of finding him?"

"Perhaps, once we get back to the TARDIS."

The TARDIS was as they had left it. Susan did not open it, but examined the outside. "There is a hidden device somewhere for calling the principal key holder, but I don't know what it will look like. This is a new camouflage."

She found the little door with the telephone inside, but it was dead, and was wondering what to try next when The Doctor arrived unseen, making both of them jump. "Susan, what is going on, why have you got that medical pack?"

"There was a sick child, grandfather; we'll tell you all about it later. Right now I'm worried that there is an intruder in the TARDIS." She explained what she had seen.

"If there is something in there then you were right to wait for me. Mr Ollivander, did you notice anything?"

"I _saw_ nothing Doctor, but I did notice, well, a faint smell of strong drink."

"Tell me, is there a spell that will make someone invisible?"

"More than one, but even with a good wand they are close to useless. For invisibility you need an invisibility cloak – they can be bought in Diagon Alley."

"Can they? Then I believe I know who you saw. We had a clue earlier and I overlooked it."

Chuckling and looking pleased with himself, he offered them no explanation, but unlocked the TARDIS and opened the door wide. "Mr Fletcher, you will show yourself now! Behave yourself and I just might take you home again."


	13. Wand Talk

**Chapter 13 – Wand Talk**

The TARDIS appeared in a shady corner of the garden where The Doctor had spoken with the old soldier Cato and his sister an hour or two earlier. The Doctor and Garrick Ollivander had dressed a weakly-protesting Mundungus Fletcher in a plebeian tunic; the 'bad boy' did not merit a toga.

Before opening the door, Susan had a private word with her grandfather: "We are taking Mr Ollivander to meet the people you think might be the founders of his family business, which is called Ollivanders. Could we be setting up a temporal feedback loop? That could be very dangerous."

"Absolutely: we must make it clear to the pair of them that we are here to learn about magic, not to teach it. As for the name, we should use his first name only, the name Ollivander is not to be mentioned."

A few minutes later the party was sitting at a table in the wine shop with a simple meal of bread, cheese and olives set in front of them by Cato's sister.

"Doctor," pleaded Garrick, "no more delays. Tell us how you knew it was an invisible Mundungus in your TARDIS."

"Simple: it was magic."

"Doctor, please don't make fun of me."

"I'm giving a clue to see if you can work it out for yourself. … Anybody?"

No one said anything.

"Let me put the problem the other way round: how could I know where to find Mr Fletcher?"

The Doctor was gratified to see realisation arrive on each face. "The Person Pointer I gave to Susan, is that it?" asked Mundungus.

"Well done young man. I found it was pointing at the TARDIS when we first arrived here. I was slow to work out why."

"You do make it sound simple," said Garrick, "But you couldn't be sure could you?"

"Well, I have had some acquaintance with Mr Fletcher. As soon as I knew about Invisibility Cloaks it all fitted together. … However, I brought us all here for a reason."

He stood up and spoke to Cato's sister. "Madam! Could I introduce you and your brother to the wand maker?"

Soon there were seven of them together in the private garden, for Cato and his sister were joined by their brother, the ship's captain who had first directed The Doctor to the wine shop. Susan paused in her efforts to convince Mundungus that they really were in ancient Rome while introductions were made all round.

"Garrick and I came here to find out more about magic," said The Doctor. "He is the wand maker I told you about. His wands are famous in his own country and they work well there. We are trying to find out why they do not work here."

"Why ask us?" asked Cato, "There are many eminent and learned wizards in the City. I can barely read, and my brother Marcus is hardly a scholar - or much of a wizard either," he joked.

"It isn't book-learning that's needed, it is experience, and you have it: you have seen Gauls using wands with your own eyes. And those wands worked didn't they?"

"Well their curses worked well, they stopped seasoned men in their tracks. … Yes, it must have been the wands, without them their magicians had little power."

"Curious, isn't," continued The Doctor, "that those wands no longer work. Would you mind showing one to Garrick?"

The wand maker examined the little wooden stick with all the care he gave to the sophisticated products of his own age. "There is a wand like this in the family vault in Gringotts Bank; we consider it a great heirloom. It is known as a '_slat an draoichta', _a 'rod of enchantment'. That wand long ago lost its potency, but this one? It is about five inches long, rowan with mistletoe seeds embedded in it and then fire-hardened. It is a wand quite suitable for cursing. You would hold it so, in the left hand with the index finger laid along it to emphasise the pointing."

He stood up to his full height with his left arm raised high and the wand aimed forwards. "A dramatic and threatening pose is it not? Then the curse should be delivered as a shout, probably a single word. … _NIHIL_!"

"I'm glad," said Cato dryly, "that even so harmless a spell was not aimed at me. That is very much how I've seen Gauls use them in battle."

"The question," The Doctor said, "is why did it work then and why doesn't it work now? It isn't a working wand is it?"

"It is magical, but no, it won't cast a spell. Nor will any wand I've tried here" said Garrick. He handed the wand to Cato's sister. "You are a witch of great power, what do you think of this wand?"

"I've examined it any number of times. It's tantalising: I can tell that it's magical, but I can't see any way to utilise it."

"I have a theory," said The Doctor. "It is only a theory, but we should be able to test it out."

"Go on," she said.

"It is very simple: wands work if there are sufficient people – wizards and witches that is – who _believe_ that they will work."

The others silently considered this.

"I could be quite wrong," continued The Doctor, "but I don't think I am."

"You may be right," said Garrick, "at least I can't say you're wrong. But what can we do?"

"We have to convince enough people that wands _can_ work. Once we have done that then wands will start working here and will continue to do so."

"But they _don't_ work," protested Cato.

"Please!" said Mundungus, "What's the problem? You just have to convince people. I expect witches and wizards here are just as gullible as those back home."

"You are suggesting deception?" asked Garrick.

"Just to get the ball rolling, so to speak. No one need be any the wiser."

"So you get a lot of witches and wizards together, perform a magic trick and claim that a wand did it?" suggested Marcus.

"That's about it," agreed Mundungus, "and if you then hand out a few wands to people and they work, well, job done. Course, if The Doctor's wrong you have some explainin' to do."

"I suggest," said Garrick, "simply convincing someone of influence that wands can be made to work. If he can persuade enough people in turn then …" He paused a moment. "Doctor, how many people need to believe? Is it five or five thousand?"

The Doctor pulled a face. "I would expect the critical number to be low, provided they are all in the same area: somewhere between five and fifty, judging by Cato's experience."

Cato's sister had been listening with increasing impatience, and now felt she had to speak her mind. "Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves? Why should we _want_ wands to work? Do we really want to make it easier for people to curse each other?"

This encouraged Susan to speak. "I've been asking myself that too. But wands aren't just weapons, they are really useful in all sorts of ways; Garrick can tell you that better than I can. Not using wands is like managing without knives because people could be stabbed."

Marcus nodded in agreement. "Even if wands could only be used to curse, Rome needs them. It's only a matter of time before Carthage, with its powerful magicians, decides to confront us. We must be ready."

"One step at a time, brother," said Cato. "You talk of wands, but where are they? We have only three between us; I doubt there are more than seven in all Rome."

"Make them yourselves, the three of you!" The Doctor sounded irritated: he tried not to influence human affairs, but he could not stop himself from giving them a nudge occasionally.

"Yes do," said Garrick, "You don't need my help; learn wand making by doing it. To start with you could even use wood from the olive tree we're sitting under. You import magical goods, Captain, so you've a ready supply of those."

The discussion moved on to: how to "sell" wands (as Mundungus succinctly put it), and to the events of the day. Garrick and Susan related their race to save little Lavinia. Cato and his brother and sister listened with a fascination which turned to amazement when Garrick told how he apparated with Susan to get the medical kit. Apparition was unknown in Rome, though Marcus had heard rumours of it in Egypt and elsewhere.

Mundungus kept quiet about his own contribution to the day's events; if everyone thought he had spent the morning lurking in the TARDIS that was fine by him.

A plan for the rest of the day was agreed: Garrick would visit the senator, accompanied by Captain Marcus; Mundungus would stay close to The Doctor, who did not trust him to stay out of trouble; and Susan would stay at the wine shop and hopefully learn a bit about ordinary Roman life.

It was a long walk uphill to the senator's house, but the two wizards had much to chat about on the way. The Doctor had warned Garrick to say nothing about time travel or coming from the future; any questions about the TARDIS should be brushed aside. When they were close to the senator's door they found the way blocked by a squad of the City Guard.

"Gentlemen," said the centurion in charge, "By order of the City magistrates I am to stop all who approach and demand their name, rank and business."

"I am Marcus, a full citizen of Rome and a ship's captain. We have lawful business with the senator, be so good as to allow us to proceed."

The centurion was stony-faced: "Your companion, who is he?"

"He is a visitor to the City, and is calling on the senator by invitation. I am his guide."

"Does he not have a tongue in his head?"

"I am a stranger to Rome, having arrived in the City only this morning. My name is Garrick Ollivander. I met the good senator this morning and he invited me to his home. Ask him and he will confirm this."

At a signal from their centurion the guardsmen smartly surrounded the two of them. "Consider yourselves under arrest, both of you. My men will bring you in front of the magistrates; they will use whatever force is necessary; they will not answer your questions. Those are our orders."

Marcus and Garrick were marched downhill all the way to the Forum. They were told that the magistrate was busy, there having been several arrests during the day, and were bundled into a small cell 'to await his attention.' Marcus was indignant: "I am a citizen; I have the right to know why I have been detained."

"Citizen, you were found in the company of a stranger who is suspected of the capital crime of sacrilege."

Meanwhile, alone in her austere little room the Head Vestal was anxiously thinking through the extraordinary events of the day, and puzzling over the two little objects she had found on the sacred hearth and quickly hidden from the priest. What were they, and what should she do with them?

**Author's Note: To be continued and possibly concluded in the next chapter.**


	14. The Trial

**Chapter 14 – The Trial**

Garrick Ollivander apparated into the garden and rushed over to Cato, who was still sitting under the olive tree. Hurriedly, he blurted out what had happened to Marcus and himself. Then, explaining that he was going back to join Marcus before he was missed, he disapparated. Cato took up his walking stick and hobbled into the wine shop to talk with his sister.

There were few customers, the mid-day rush being long over, and his sister and Susan were talking together. He repeated word-for-word what Garrick had told him. "Something serious must have happened for the magistrates to station guards outside a senator's house and arrest his visitors. I've never heard of such a thing. Do you know anything, Sis?"

"There was talk of something strange happening in the Temple of Vesta this morning. They say that the priest is in a fearful temper. There have been lots of arrests."

"One of the Vestals is a friend of yours, why don't you go and call on her. Take Susan; the child and I can mind the shop."

It was not far across the Forum to the Temple of Vesta, and they were back within the hour. Susan had Mundungus's lighter in her bag; she had amazed the Head Vestal by showing her how the two pieces fitted together. Susan was keen to confront Mundungus with the evidence of his escapade in the temple, for she was in no doubt that it was his doing. He wasn't there; he and her grandfather had gone sightseeing.

Cato listened while his sister repeated to him everything they had been told. "You people." He said to Susan, "have certainly put the senator in your debt: you've saved both his daughters in one day. It can't be a coincidence that these things did happen on the same day. I think that venomous snake of a priest chose the day of the Great Dance to bring a false allegation against the senator's daughter."

His sister went on: "The Head Vestal showed me some of the wood which would not burn. I could tell at once that the girl was right: it had been hexed. The Head Vestal is showing it to the Pontifex Maximus. It will prove the girl is innocent of letting the sacred fire go out."

"It should do that, but it won't prove the priest's guilt, he's far too wily."

"Yes," she replied, "but it means that he looses his hold over the girl. Most likely she'll be allowed to leave the order and someone else will be appointed."

"Yes, yes, but right now our brother and Garrick are held by the magistrates for a capital offence!"

Some time later, as it was getting dark, Captain Marcus, the Doctor and Mundungus all arrived together. Marcus told them "They have released me and most of the others, but Garrick has been charged with two counts of sacrilege. He will be tried in the morning."

"They've put 'im in shackles," added Mundungus, "so he can't escape by disapparating. He should never have apparated back after gettin' away once; that was plain stupid."

"He did the honourable thing," countered the Doctor. "If he had fled leaving Marcus behind, they would very likely have charged him instead. Our best course is to get him found not guilty at the trial tomorrow; the one big advantage we have is that he is innocent of the charge."

Susan confronted Mundungus with the evidence the Head Vestal had given her, and only then did he admit to the others what he had done. He was widely praised, much to his delight and surprise. However, The Doctor questioned him closely, grilling him on everything he had seen and done in the temple.

The following morning Garrick Ollivander was brought to trial. He was not a citizen and so did not warrant a thorough hearing, but there was considerable interest in the case and the public benches were packed. He was charged with 'assaulting a priest whilst performing his sacred duties', and with 'interfering with the sacred fire' in the Temple of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. Looking very bemused, he declared his innocence. He was manacled and stood between two soldiers who held him fast.

The prosecution case was swiftly delivered with the maximum of demagoguery and the minimum of fact. Then the presiding magistrate asked if the prisoner wished to offer any defence. The Doctor, looking stern and dignified in his toga, shot to his feet. "I am here to defend the prisoner."

The magistrate's eyebrows shot up. "Are you indeed? Your name, sir?"

The Doctor gave the magistrate a slight bow, one gentleman giving a formal acknowledgement to another. "Sir, I am known simply as 'The Doctor'."

"Very well, 'Doctor', you may proceed, but keep it short."

The Doctor bowed again. "Stripped of the rhetoric and bluster, the case given by the prosecutor is simple." The Doctor counted on his fingers, held high. "One: the assertion that an invisible man entered the Temple of Vesta, struck the Priest on the ankle, and re-lit the sacred fire which had gone out. Two: the fact that the prisoner, who was in the audience when the Great Dance came to an end, disappeared from sight and re-appeared carrying a magical device with which to treat an ailing child. Three: the argument that the invisible man and the prisoner must be one and the same because no one else in Rome has ever been known to become invisible."

The audience on the public benches stirred uneasily. They had enjoyed the theatre of the prosecutor's harangue. Now they were getting the dry logic-chopping typical of a Greek philosopher.

"I will examine, as briefly as I can, each of those points." The Doctor nodded courteously to the presiding magistrate, who was looking disconcerted. This level of defence was most unusual for an unimportant prisoner; perhaps this case had a political dimension he had not been told about?

The Doctor continued. "But first some details which the prosecutor did not mention. Firstly, the events in the temple and at the Great Dance were happening _at exactly the same time_. My client must have rare abilities well beyond invisibility to have participated in both."

The public benches quietened down, not so much because of what The Doctor had said, but because they had noticed some unhappy faces opposite, on the seats reserved for officials and senators.

"There is more," The Doctor continued. "The prosecutor told us that the young Vestal being charged was the daughter of a senator, and that the prisoner was arrested while on his way to that senator's house. That is true. He overlooked the fact that it was the same senator's other daughter who collapsed after the Great Dance. Quite a coincidence, eh? Two sisters: both in peril at the same time and both, we are told, rescued at the same time by the same man, the accused."

Everyone in the court was now paying close attention to what The Doctor was saying. The more informed on the public benches were also watching the Priest of Vesta, seated amongst the officials, who was now red-faced and angry.

"It was on account of his service to the youngerdaughter that my client was on his way, by invitation, to visit the senator. The prosecutor alleges that he was on his way to take payment for his actions in the Temple of Vesta. That, we were told, was why the City Guard was stopping everyone visiting the senator. Why then, if the magistrates are so confident that they have the right man in court, are the City Guard still doing that this morning?"

The Doctor paused briefly to let this sink in. Then: "Could it be that the real subject of this trial is the senator? That once the prisoner, an un-important pawn, has been disposed of, charges and accusations will be directed at the senator who allegedly employed him?"

There were some angry mutterings and shouts from the audience, some for and some against the senator. The presiding magistrate rose to his feet. "The public will remain seated and silent or the lectors clear the court. You, sir, may continue, but I will not tolerate wild allegations. Restrict yourself to the defence of the prisoner."

The Doctor bowed in agreement. "My client is not a villain, but a hero. He saved the life of a participant in the Great Dance, the youngest of the forty. You should be thanking him, not putting him on trial."

He continued, "I will make no accusations, but let us consider the facts. What did happen in Temple of Vesta yesterday morning? Though he was invited to the Great Dance as an honoured guest, the priest remained at the temple. He it was, some time after the Dance had begun, who discovered the duty Vestal struggling to keep the sacred fire alight. She was there, attending to the fire as best she could. He immediately declared the fire to be extinguished and accused her of grave dereliction of duty."

The Priest of Vesta came to his feet, his face puce with fury. "Do we have to listen to these lies and half-truths?"

The head magistrate's reply was calm but firm. "Yes we do. If you wish to rebut anything said about you then stay quiet and wait."

The Doctor continued. "I will put it as kindly as I can: the Priest was precipitate in declaring the fire to be out. He was hasty in condemning her to the traditional punishment without hearing her defence. For the wood supplied to keep the fire had been hexed and would not burn. More importantly, _the fire was not out_: beneath the kindling the embers were still hot. Did the fire not blaze up again a little later?"

He looked around. The people on the public benches were now quiet, they had realised that they were witnessing a power struggle. Most seemed to be on his side. On the official seats, there was anger in many faces, bewilderment in others. Two were actively restraining the Priest of Vesta from another outburst; only the presiding magistrate remained aloof.

"Some believe that what happened next was due to some supernatural agent, a spirit or god. Others reckon it was a man made invisible. I think they were correct, that an invisible man did come in."

There were gasps all round; no one had expected such an admission. The magistrate leaned forward, "Go on."

"Whoever it was - and there is only circumstantial evidence that it was my client - did the City a service. He prevented the sacred fire from going out, and he prevented a young and innocent Vestal from receiving a terrible and unjust punishment."

"That is enough," proclaimed the magistrate, "We will consider our verdict." He consulted with one of his colleagues. "On the charge of 'interfering with the sacred fire' we find the prisoner not guilty. The evidence is unclear."

The Priest of Vesta shrugged off his companions and rose to his feet, glowering at Garrick.

"On the charge of 'assaulting a priest whilst performing his sacred duties' we find the prisoner guilty. We think it beyond reasonable doubt that he and the invisible man at the temple were one and the same. The priest was performing his priestly duties in his temple and was assaulted. How he performs those duties is not a matter for this court. In view of the prisoner's actions at the Great Dance we have decided to show mercy. We sentence him to a swift death."

The Priest of Vesta was furious. "A swift death, perhaps, but I'll give him a taste of pain first!" He ran at Garrick, bringing out a horse whip from his robes as he came.

After that, things happened rather quickly. The two soldiers who had been standing close either side of the prisoner advanced to restrain the priest. Someone yelled "Now!" and Garrick disappeared, manacles and all. The priest screamed and fell over, clutching his ankle in a repeat of the day before, and one of the soldiers fell heavily on top of him. A number of men from the public benches (friends and employees of Cato and Marcus, plus supporters of the senator) surrounded The Doctor and bundled him from the building by a rear exit. Among them was a ginger-haired young man nobody had noticed before. Outside the building stood a blue box that wasn't normally there. Its door was open and the young man and The Doctor rushed inside. The door closed and seconds later there was no sign of the blue box.

Back at wine shop garden, Garrick, Cato and the others were waiting as the TARDIS materialised. Cato rushed over and shook The Doctor by the hand to congratulate him on the success of their plan.

"Please, Doctor, I've had the fright of my life. I would like to go home straight away," said Garrick.

"Me too," said Mundungus. "I'm shakin' to think what might have happened if anythin' had gorn wrong. What I needs right now is a proper drink, if you get what I mean."

"Very well, Mr. Fletcher, it's back to the Leaky Cauldron right away; you've earned it."

"You have indeed!" said Garrick, "But please get these shackles off me first! I'll see that Dumbledore gets to hear about your deeds. Pity I can't tell him where and when it all happened!"

Cato and his sister watched the TARDIS disappear. "That," she said, "Is the most powerful magic we'll ever see."

"Yes," he replied, "but that blue medicine bag was more use to me! Susan actually apologised that it couldn't replace my missing eye. I told her that a man can manage better with one eye that he can with one foot. Now, let's find that brother of ours and start talking about wands."

**THE END** _(Phew!)_

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you liked this story. I've tried to write in the spirit of the 1960's episodes of Doctor Who: family viewing that was intended to be both exciting and educational.


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